


Is This What They Call, Love?

by xXBrokenxRebelXx



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Fem!Eren, Fluff, I don't have any tags., I'll pay you!, I'll shut up now., I'm RAMBLING!, I'm so sorry it sucks, It gets kind of melancholy, JK I'm broke, Levi Flippin Ackerman, Mwuahahahaha, My First Fanfic, No Smut, No cursing!, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, anyway!, but don't worry too much about it, enjoy?, maybe? - Freeform, oh my word, okay?, tags?, the fluff, what tags?, you silly people
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 01:59:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 43,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5809132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXBrokenxRebelXx/pseuds/xXBrokenxRebelXx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren Jaeger is the smartest and prettiest girl in her entire school. But besides brains and beauty, she is strong and hot-headed and exceptionally kind.</p><p>Her home life is absolutely dreadful. She has a terrible past, one that she wishes she could escape from and forget about.</p><p>Eren and her dad moved away from their home in Germany to try to escape the nightmarish memories. But her dad, being the horrible alcoholic he is, blames Eren for her mother's death, and lashes out on her, taking all of Eren's hard earned savings to buy more alcohol.</p><p>Because of all of this, Eren is withdrawn. She doesn't dare make any friends. However, when the new transfer student arrives on the scene, her world is in for a complete turn-a-round.</p><p>Levi Ackerman could be the photo example of classically handsome for Webster's Dictionary.</p><p>No one could get his un-moving heart beating. That is, before he walked into homeroom of his new school that day. As the teacher announces his arrival, he sees something, or rather someone, that makes his un-moving heart start pounding rapidly.</p><p>Disclaimer: I do not own any pictures, videos, or any of the characters. I update on my own pace, so you may not harass me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Transfer Student

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry! I have no idea what I'm doing. LOL! Please enjoy? Maybe? Possibly? I don't even know. I love Fem!Eren, and there wasn't a lot of those kinds of fics, so I decided to try it out, and this was the end result. I really hope you like it. Let me know what you think! I accept KIND criticism. Anything you wouldn't want said to you, you can keep to yourself. Enjoy!

Third Person P.O.V.

_Eren and her mother were in an old, dilapidated building way out in the middle of the forest. She could see the stars shining above, winking in and out of existence in the starry night sky. Then, out of nowhere, a few drops of red interrupted her reverie. Eren quickly looked over in the direction of the red in search of the source. But to her horror, she saw her mother, laying on the ground, coughing up her own blood. Eren screamed and did her best to wiggle over to her dying mother, her bonds chaffing at her wrists. She watched as the light slowly faded from her mother's kind eyes. It was such a shame that this beautiful night had to be tainted with blood and death._

_Eren was completely outraged. Her dear beloved mother has just died right before her very eyes, and the killers were laughing it up as if they were at a carnival. They were catcalling and spitting at the now lifeless corpse. Filled to the brim with senseless rage, Eren ripped her bonds apart like they were nothing but a small piece of string. She soared toward one assailant, clawing at the murderer. She managed to grab the knife from him and slash at him with the blood-soaked knife without hesitation. He fell to his knees and never rose again. The men surrounding her looked shocked, mortified even. They began to back away from the murderous look they were receiving from this small ten year old child. She screamed her throat raw as she ran at the rest of the three men, slashing and stabbing and crying and screaming. Blood spewed everywhere. Finally, her rampage came to an inevitable end as the dead men surrounding her now looked up into the same sky with glazed-over eyes._

_Eren dropped the knife from sheer exhaustion and began to sob her little heart out. She looked at her hands, now soaked in the same red substance. Blood. Eren collapsed onto the cold wooden floor next to her mother and blacked out._

"'No time for goodbye,' he said as he faded awa-"

SLAM!

"Ugh, stupid alarm clocks. They are such a blessing, and yet a terrible curse to humanity," Eren said as she sat up in her bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

She leaned forward, clutching her aching head. "Why can't that day just go away already?" She mumbled under her breath.

She finally conjured up the will to rise from her nest of blankets. She crawled out, rather un-lady-like, drowsily dragging herself to her closet.

"Yet another beautiful day, just to be ruined by the animal down the hall. What a shame." She said rather sadly.

Eren lazily grabbed a yellow sheer top and a golden tank-top, along with a pair of American Eagle skinny jeans and navy blue Vans. The only reason she could afford all of these nice things was because she held a second secret job so that she could buy herself some things. Though she did have some nice clothes, there were too few of them. They all could literally fit in one suitcase. But she didn't want people to question why she didn't have nice clothes, so she had to pretend she had money to draw the suspicion away.

She quickly, but oh so quietly, scrambled into them. She thanked whatever deity out there that she had a bathroom to herself in her room. She picked up her brush and began to work through the many curls that always appeared after she woke up, which was thoroughly annoying the crap out of Eren. She brushed and brushed her chocolate brown locks. Her hair was on the wavy side, and fell to a little below the shoulder. Then, she brushed her teeth and decided her appearance was satisfactory. However, the sad and tired look in her eyes never seemed to go away. At least, not since that day.

Eren glanced down, finding the little scars along the bottom of her neckline that she knew would proceed downwards to other parts of her body if she were to look. Eren decided to wear a blue plaid scarf and cardigan to try to cover up those hideous reminders of more dreadful times.

She grabbed her backpack off of the hook in her closet and walked to her bedroom door.

Eren peeked through the minuscule crack through her door to make sure the animal known as her father wasn't up yet. She suspected that Grisha had a hang-over, and was going to be in a particularly terrible mood if she were to wake him up. Her suspicions were naturally confirmed that her useless father, in fact, had been up drinking again. She could tell by the reeking stench in the house she could now detect without hesitation from all of the many years of the same old habits.

Eren tip-toed across the hall to the staircase, where she silently descended to the lower floor. She walked over to the front door and silently exited the building. Eren sighed in relief and began her small journey to Wall Sina High, her only reprieve from her nightmare called life. It was a sign of hope for her. Letting her know that soon, she could move out.

Eren thought about her nightmares, as always. She thought about her poor excuse for a father, who took his anger out on her all of the time, sober or not. And she thought about her mother. She promised herself that she would not sink so low as to escape her life, because that would make her mother's sacrifice meaningless and that is exactly what Grisha wanted. She would not disguise her emotional pain with physical pain either. She would never allow Grisha the satisfaction. Instead, she held her head high and walked confidently into her school, which she now realized she had arrived at, since she was thinking so deeply. Eren strode into the big front doors of her school and walked over to the section of lockers that housed her own. She walked up to number 221 and with practiced ease unlocked her locker, pulling out her books for the first three periods.

As Eren began her walk to first period, she walked by an empty classroom. A hand then shot out of nowhere, yanking her into the dark room, She heard a door slam and was suddenly pressed to the wall. Her hands were then trapped under a firm grip and placed on either side of her head, causing her books to drop to the ground. She scowled as one hit her foot on its descent to the floor. She looked up angrily, only to be met with the gaze with none other then Jean Kirstein, a.k.a Horseface. Her eyes blazed with anger as she spit with venom,

"What on this blazing earth do you want this time, Horseface?"

He chuckled a bit, and replied, "Now, don't be rude, I was just wondering if you had, perhaps, changed your mind," His voice suggested that he was trying to talk in a silky voice, but he was failing pitifully.

"About?" Eren asked rather coldly, thought not unwarranted.

"Why, my offer to become my girlfriend, of course! What else would there be?"

Eren mumbled under her breath a few choice obscene words before looking back up with her signature glare. She was pretty well known around school for having one of the iciest glares around. She answered the ridiculous boy with a low and fearsome voice,

"Listen well, Horseface. I will never, ever, become your girlfriend. Not even if the human race depended on it and you were the last man alive. My answer will always remain the same, no matter what you may do. You might as well give up now and stop wasting my precious time. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a class I need to attend," Eren said as she tried to turn away from the moron in front of her.

"Well, you're as bull-headed as ever, I see. Maybe this will change your mind."

Jean suddenly swooped in and planted a kiss on Eren.

Her eyes opened to full capacity in shock, before rapidly turning into a glare. She kneed him, hard, right in the groin, then gave him an uppercut that sent the horse flying. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand in distaste and gave the nastiest glare imaginable. The toughest gangster would have wet his pants had he been the object of her gaze.

"I thought I told you that nothing would change my mind. What part of that didn't you comprehend? Was it the never? Or the no? Hmm, I have a wonderfully brilliant idea: the notion didn't go through your head because you literally have no brains. You're an anomaly. A horse with no brains can still live. How interesting. Anyway, I hoped that taught you a lesson, if that's even possible. If I am late to class, your head will be served to me on a silver platter."

And with that, Eren quickly grabbed her fallen books and slammed the classroom door open. She raced to her class, and just before the tardy bell sounded, she had taken her seat and thrown her bag to the floor, all the while stomping around. She pressed her hand to her head, willing the pounding headache to go away. The students were all scared of the storm hovering over Eren, so they dared not to approach her. Her seat was situated in the far right corner of the room. Curious glances were thrown in her direction, to which she just shrugged off. "Horseface better appreciate that he didn't make me late," Eren mumbled under her breath.

"Is Jean giving you trouble again?" the student sitting in front of her asked.

Eren studied him for a couple moments. He had longer blond hair, styled into a bowl cut. He had oceanic blue eyes that sparkled with intelligence and overall happiness. Eren immediately envied him. She fumbled around in the jumbled up parts of her mind before his name popped into her mind: Armin Arlet. Since he was only wondering after her well being, Eren decided to confide in him.

"Yeah, same as usual, I guess."

"He sure is a royal pain in the rear end," Armin sighed.

Eren chuckled a bit. "No kidding."

The final bell rang at that moment, ending any further conversation. The teacher, Mr. Oluo, looked up from the magazine he was reading, which no doubt was most likely not allowed on school premises, and shoved it into a drawer. He stood up, walked around to the front of the class, whilst clearing his throat, which effectively stopped any lingering conversation. He began to speak.

"Okay, you filthy brats, we have a new student joining us today." This news seemed to rouse the students' attention. A new student, especially this late in the year, was rare, and it caused no end to gossip. Mr. Oluo coughed again, which drew the eager students' attention again. "As I was saying, we have a new transfer student. He transferred here form who-knows-where and decided to join this pigsty of a school. Meet your new classmate, Levi Acker- OW!"

A couple of still immature students giggled as he had bit his tongue for the umpteenth time. This was a new record for our pathetic teacher. It was so early in the morning. Normally, he didn't start until around second period.

The door then opened and we all heard a "Tch!" as the presumed transfer student entered the classroom.

"I hope you plan on cleaning up the blood on the floor. I absolutely despise messes."


	2. The Locker

Eren's P.O.V.

The final bell rang, warning any other rebel students who were not in the room were now late for class. Mr. Oluo sighed and threw his magazine, which, may I add, should not be on the premises, into a drawer and slammed it shut. He walked up to the front of the room and cleared his throat, silencing the rest of my talkative piers. Mr. Oluo began to speak,

"O.K. you filthy brats! We have a new student joining us today. He transferred here from who-knows-where, nor do I care, and decided to come to this pigsty of a school. His name is Levi Acker- OW!"

Mr. Oluo had bit his tongue, which made my moronic classmates start laughing. I, personally, was amazed. This was a new record for him! This early in the morning? Bravo! I was tempted to clap. Just then, the door opened, which drew everyone's attention away from the poor excuse we had for a teacher. The male who walked in made a noise that sounded irritated.

"Tch."

He walked into the classroom.

"I hope you are going to clean up that blood. I can't stand messes."

Mr. Oluo looked up and shot the male, who I presumed was Levi, a glare. I wasn't particularly interested, unlike my other classmates. The view from my window was very pretty in the mornings, and there was a blue jay in the nearby tree. Mr. Oluo huffed and attempted speech, which only made him sound even more stupid.

"Bra-s, -his is We-I A-er-man. We-I, in-o-uce -u-self."

"I presume you wish for me to introduce myself to the class?"

Mr. Oluo nodded and stomped back noisily to his desk, all the while glaring at any other students who "dare laugh at him". Though it was already a given that they would.

"Tch. How irritating."

I thought to myself, No kidding. Then, I finally got a good look at him.

Oh my...

Levi was shorter then the average person, but was extremely well built. I could see that through the shirt he was wearing easily. He was on the pale side, with black raven hair styled into an undercut and parted perfectly. He wore no emotions on his face. But when I looked into his eyes, I was sucked in. He had the most beautiful, yet cold, blue-gray eyes I had ever seen. It was as if he could read people like a book.

"Oi."

All whispers ceased, and the attention was brought back to the front.

"I don't want to have to deal with any of you brats. Just stay out of my way and you'll be fine."

How could someone so handsome be that rude? I wondered.

But, then again, it fit his profile.

Levi looked over at Mr. Oluo and asked,

"Where do I sit?"

Mr. Oluo looked over the class, and found the only seat available.

The one right next to me.

"You can sit by Eren over in the corner. Eren, raise your hand so Levi knows where to sit."

Levi's P.O.V.

"Where do I sit?" I asked the pathetic teacher.

He scanned the room for a second and said,

"You can sit over by Eren in the corner. Eren, raise your hand so Levi knows where to sit."

I looked over, and a girl raised her hand.

My eyes widened a bit, as I looked over at my new neighbor.

The girl, who was called Eren, had long chocolate hair that fell just below her shoulders. She looked to be fairly tall, but not that much taller then me. But what got me wasn't that. It was her eyes. They were a blue-green that blended together in a never-ending battle for dominance. Gold flecks dusted the edges of her irises. But there was a sad look in her eyes. As if she had been through so much pain.

I could relate, in a way.

I silently made my way over to the neighboring desk beside her. Our eyes locked and it felt like the world was just slowly slipping away, and all that mattered was us. Later on, I would question myself on how I managed to get to my desk without looking like a fool, but that didn't matter now.

*cough*

The small, fragile connection we had was brutally severed, and we both looked back up to the teacher.

Mr. Oluo said,

"Well, I doubt Levi here knows his way around the school yet, so why don't you, Eren, help Levi out for today? You're both excused for the rest of the classes.

I was slightly surprised, but I didn't show it.

This beautiful girl is going to guide me around all day? My luck couldn't get any better!

Eren nodded and stood up, grabbed her bag, and gestured for me to follow suit.

But why make me go to all of the trouble to walk over here if you're going to make me get back up again the next instant? What a waste of time. He obviously didn't possess a shred of common sense.

As we walked out of the door, I could hear whispers from those idiotic brats that I now have to call my classmates. Great.

"Wow! Eren is so lucky!"

"Man, I wish I could show Levi around."

"Such a shame, I hope he doesn't fall for her like everyone else."

Well, aren't you little Miss Priss?

I looked over at Eren, who seemed a little miffed at the things she was hearing.

She just hurried out of the door and headed, I presumed, to where the lockers were.

Eren's P.O.V.

Geez, my classmates can just be a pack of fools sometimes.

I had a tendency to just forget everything my classmates say about me, because that wouldn't be good for my ego. I had a pretty healthy ego, maybe a little less then what it should be, but hey, it's the small things.

I started walking over to my locker, and placed my bag inside. I turned around and asked that should-be-behind-bars-for-how-handsome-he-looks-because-it-should-be-illegal-beacuase-girls-are-dropping-dead-from-nosebleeds boy who stood behind me,

"Where's your locker?"

Nice! I actually sound cool and collected! Well done, Eren!

He just looked at me and said in a monotone,

"I don't have one yet. or, at least, no one has told me which one it is."

"Did you get the 'Welcome' packet?"

"Yes, why?"

"There should be a small slip of paper with your locker number and pass-code in it. Did you look through it yet?"

"No, they just gave it to me and said, 'Have fun! Hope you can figure that thing out!' and left me to my own devices."

I sighed.

"Geez, this school is going to go down the drain at this rate. Anyway, let me see it, if you don't mind."

Levi just kept looking at me and brought out the packet from his bag.

I looked through it until I found the scratch paper. My eyes widened a bit.

Can my luck get any better?! There must be a price to pay for such luck. Though, this might be the reward for having such BAD luck throughout my entire life.

The number on the locker read: 222.

"Well, it looks like you are right next to me," I said, with a bit of wonder in my voice.

"You're joking."

I looked up and saw he was a little surprised as well. But you could only see it if you looked carefully into his eyes.

"No, seriously, look."

I handed him the piece of paper, and he just kept staring at it.

"Well, that saves us the trouble of having to go search for it. Why don't you go ahead and place your bag into your locker so we can go ahead and start the tour?"

Levi just shrugged and opened up the locker next to mine. After he placed his bag in, he stuffed the passcode into his pocket and turned to me with those gorgeous eyes.

"Alright. Should we get going?"

I nodded and we both started walking down the hall. What Eren didn't realize was that her headache had gone away.


	3. The Tour

Eren was walking down the school's hallways, pointing towards various classrooms and explaining what they were used for.

I am so glad this school is so massive. This way, I can spend more time with Eren. Wait, what?

I ended up staring at her for the majority of the time, the only exception being when she pointed to a classroom, because I didn't want to have to walk everywhere just for me not to know anything. That would be completely pointless and stupid. But just then, Eren stopped in her tracks and grabbed my arm rather tightly. I was about to ask her what was wrong, but she just placed her fore and middle finger on my lips, silencing my yet-to-be-asked question.

Thank goodness I can control my emotions...

Wait, now I hear something.

Footsteps and voices were coming down the hallway in our direction.

Eren looked like she was listening into their conversation, which I didn't think fit her character all that well.

Eren's eyes widened and she suddenly pulled me into an empty classroom and shut the door as softly as possible.

I looked over at Eren and asked,

"Hey, what's the big idea?"

But she just shushed me again and pressed her ear to the door.

I followed suit, curious as to what was making Eren act this way.

The voices and footsteps gradually grew closer, and I could finally make out what they were saying.

"That transfer student better not take Eren away from us. Or Big-M is gonna get real mad."

"You said it. He better high-tail it out o' there. If he knows what is good for 'im."

They all laughed as if that was the funniest thing they had ever heard, which frankly it was just plain stupid and totally cliché.

I looked over at Eren, and I was shocked at what I saw.

Blood lust. She looked like she was just itching to punch them all in the face. I prayed for the idiots' safety.

I didn't know what I was doing. I had never touched anyone in fear that they were filthy, and I have definitely never comforted anyone.

I placed my hand on Eren's shoulder, which caused an immediate reaction in the form of her flinching. She looked very panicked.

I wonder why she reacted like that?

But she noticeably calmed down, which I was glad for, because that would have been awkward if I had touched her and it didn't work.

Eren looked at me and gave me a reassuring smile, letting me know that she was okay now.

I let go, and she turned her attention to spying through the door again. Seeming satisfied no one was around any longer, Eren walked out the door and started walking again, the tour now back on track.

But just as we started walking again...

"Well, well. That looks awfully suspicious. A boy and a girl coming out of an empty classroom together."

I turned around, and low and behold there stood a majestic stallion behind me. Okay, I'm joking, but I was sure it was a horse at first glance.

"Well, Horseface, have you resorted to stalking me now?"

Oh good, I'm not the only one who thinks he looks like a horse.

"Ah, come now, Sweetheart, don't talk like that. You know you love me."

"I do? I wasn't informed of that. Though, I am beginning to wonder if your brain is that needle in a haystack everyone is searching for. I hope the search goes well, it's a valuable item. It's unfortunate that you lost it."

Well, aren't you pretty clever?

He looked pretty confused at first, but it slowly dawned on him Eren had just called him hopelessly moronic.

"Now, that was uncalled for, Eren."

"Was it? I thought the situation called for something, so I pulled up my repertoire of sarcastic horse jokes that involved you not having a brain. You'd be surprised how many I have. It has become a hobby of mine."

Horseface, because I didn't know his real name, looked a little miffed.

"Is this any way to treat your lover?"

Eren and I must have been at the same annoyance level or we had a mental link, because in sync we both face-palmed.

"What on this blazing earth gave you the impression that we were lovers? This is getting ridiculous."

"Since I kissed you, of course!"

"You mean you hauling me into an empty classroom and stealing my first kiss? Yeah, that really meant something."

As soon as she said that, she immediately clapped her hand over her mouth. Shocked, because she just revealed very important information.

Horseface grinned broadly at that.

"Did I now? Oh, now I feel special. I will be remembered as the guy who stole Eren Jaeger's first kiss! Ha ha ha!"

That's it. I was very good at holding my temper and not getting involved in other people's battles, but this one I just couldn't ignore. It was grating on my nerves.

"You are really the lowest of the low. You shouldn't feel too good about that, brat."

Horseface focused his attention on me, and any amusement that was in his earlier demeanor slipped away as our eyes locked.

"So, you must be the transfer student."

"And Eren's right, you really look like a horse."

I could see Eren smirking at that.

"I have a name, you know."

"And what makes you think I care, brat?"

Horseface looked annoyed "Well, it's obvious! I am the school's major punk. And, I am writing your name on my list of little kids who I plan on teaching a lesson to. Mind telling me your name? It would make it easier."

He sneered at me. At least, he tried to. He just looked constipated to me.

"Do it, I dare you."

My eyes had formed into my regular glare, except with a little more hatred then normal. My voice grew icy, dripping with venom.

Horseface was intimidated for a moment, and took a step back.

"Don't you dare threaten me, midget."

Oh, you SO asked for it.

I started walking purposefully towards him, and he starting walking backwards in time with every step I took. However, he didn't walk fast enough and I caught up to him quickly. I crouched slightly, and in one single fluid movement gave him the best uppercut I had every conjured.

His head snapped back and he flew a couple feet backward. He thumped to the ground, just laying there for a bit before sitting up with a dazed expression. I showed no pity for him though.

"That was my best uppercut. You can add that to the list of "firsts" you have taken from people. Beware though, you've made it to the top of my list."

I turned around and looked at Eren. She had a steely look in her eyes. When she looked me in the eyes, I could see approval written there, which made me swell a little with pride.

"C'mon, Eren, there is a lot more of this school I haven't seen yet. All I have seen is trash so far. Is there any special places that are vying for my attention?"

Eren grinned and replied,

"You have no idea! I'm just getting started."

She grabbed my hand and started pulling me away from the horse spread-eagled on the floor, dazed and nauseous.

Eren's P.O.V.

After a while, I had shown Levi most of my favorite places I enjoyed visiting, and now lunchtime had arrived.

I looked over at Levi and asked,

"Hey, it's lunchtime already. Did you bring a lunch or did you plan on buying one, though I highly discourage that?"

He answered,

"I brought mine because I don't trust school lunches, especially ones in America. It's all fat and grease and not enough actual content."

"Ha ha! Same! Though I LIVE in America. That's not very patriotic of me. Anyway, let's go grab our lunches then."

We headed back to our lockers and grabbed our lunches.

"Hey, could we go to one of your favorite spots to eat? I hate people, they always throw their food around like a bunch of animals and I don't want to risk getting anything on my shoes. Plus, they are super noisy. So I generally avoid cafeterias."

Woah, is he asking me, a person who he maybe hates, to eat lunch with him? In one of my special spots? Good Lord, don't let me be dreaming. Someone pinch me. On second thought, don't wake me up.

I smiled broadly and replied with enthusiasm,

"Sure! I would love to!"


	4. The Tree

Levi's P.O.V.

I was banging my head against a mental wall.

Why. On. Earth. Did. I. Ask. Her. To. Lunch?! Oh my goodness sake, what if she thinks I am trying to make a move? Oh gosh, that would be disastrous.

But no one could tell that I was having a mental struggle. My face held no emotions whatsoever. But that didn't stop Eren from telling that something was wrong. She could read me like a friggin' book.

"Hey, are you okay, Levi?"

What did I tell you? WHAT did I tell you? She has to be psychic or something!

"Tch, I'm fine."

"If you say so..."

How does she do that?!

My thoughts came to an abrupt halt with Eren's next words.

"We're here! This is my favorite spot out of all of them."

I looked up and instantly knew why this was Eren's favorite place.

We were standing in front of the prettiest cherry blossom trees I had ever seen. It was taller then most and the leaves were cascading to the ground in a ghostly dance. They made a pink, flowery blanket around the tree. The air smelled heavenly, and there was just enough light shining through the foliage to give it an un-earthly look.

All I could do was stare in awe.

"So... do you like it?"

I was violently brought back down to earth by her sudden words, yet again. It took me a moment to get my bearings. The effect the tree had on me was bizarre. Finally, I managed a reply.

"Like it? Let me put it this way: I can absolutely understand why this would be your favorite place. There are no words that could portray what this tree is doing to me"

Eren looked delighted.

"That's a relief. I thought you wouldn't like it because you seem the type to not enjoy nature like others would."

"How could I not? It is the second most beautiful thing I have ever seen."

Crap, I said second. Way to go, Levi. While you're at it, go buy yourself a shovel and get to digging, because you're already burying yourself.

"Oh really? What is the first?"

You, but I didn't tell her that. But I did decide to tease her.

"Hmm... I won't tell you. But I will let you guess. If you guess correctly, I will give you something."

Dang, I am such a smart alack.

"Oh? How many guesses do I get?"

"Infinite. As many as you need."

"Wow, you really don't think I will get it, huh?"

Nope, I honestly don't. But again, I didn't tell her that.

"We shall see."

Eren harrumphed.

"France."

"How did you know I had been to France?"

"You have a slight French accent."

"Oh, and wrong."

"Your family?"

"Guess again."

"The government?"

"You're on drugs."

"Is it a country?"

"Is that a guess?"

"Grrr, yes."

"Wrong again."

"A place?"

"Again, wrong."

"Friends?"

"Does it look like I have friends?

"Good point. Your favorite plant?"

"You couldn't get any farther."

Eren sighed.

"Hmph! Is there a time limit?"

"Nope."

"Good, because I am hungry."

We sat down in front of the tree, leaning our backs on it.

"Whatchya got?" Eren inquired.

"For lunch? I don't know, I haven't looked yet."

Eren looked over at my food when I opened the and I watched as her eyes widen slightly.

"That is some lunch you have there."

I looked down at my food. It appeared the maids had made me a potato soup with some toppings off to the side in small containers. They had also packed my favorite tea and various sliced fruit.

Well, I guess it does look good.

Now, when I look for a friend, which was rare, I always tested them first before giving them that title. Most of the time, the person either slowly drifted away from me, abruptly ended the friendship, or tried to use me to get to my money, which never worked for them. So far, only two people had passed the test. It was time to test Eren as a potential friend.

"Yeah, the maids usually pack my food, so it looks nice."

Her eyes widened even more at that.

"Maids? Dang, you must come from a rich family. Though, that does suit your personality."

Now it was my turn to be surprised. I hadn't expected that answer, and especially in such a casual manner. But it seems like Eren is the exception. A-friggin'-gain, though I am seriously not complaining.

"Yeah, I guess I do."

I looked over at her.

"What do you have?" I asked to try to get the conversation away from me.

I hadn't seen what she had brought.

I could tell that I had asked a sensitive question, because she looked away shyly and answered in a less-then-confident manner. I could also tell that she was lying.

"Oh, I just have an apple. I was rushing out the door and could only grab this." She held up a pathetic looking apple.

Great job, Levi. You have a rich family and great food while she has a friggin' APPLE!

"Tch, stay here for a second. I'll be right back," leaving her a little bewildered.

I stood up and bolted to the cafeteria which, thanks to Eren, I knew where it was.

After racing through the many hallways the school thought they needed, I rushed over to the utensils sitting in the corner of the lunch room and grabbed and extra spoon and fork.

Why am I doing this again? Oh right: Eren.

I hurried out of the room, just as quickly as I entered it, while ignoring the curious glances thrown in my direction.

After a little more running, I found my way back to the cherry blossom tree and Eren.

Eren looked like she was contemplating something.

I calmed my breathing and my racing heart and calmly walked over to her as if nothing had happened.

By the time she finally looked up, I was standing directly in front of her.

"Oh, hey. What were you doing?"

By way of an answer, I held up the spoon and fork I had retrieved.

It only took her a second to catch onto what I was suggesting. She was quick witted.

"Oh no! I couldn't! It's yours! I couldn't possible take your food!"

"Who said anything about taking? We're going to share it."

After a couple more useless protests, Eren finally caved, and we set to work on the soup.

Eren looked really happy.

"Mmmmm! This is delicious! This is honestly the best thing I have ever tasted."

"Then you probably haven't eaten much then, huh?"

"Ha ha! Even if I have, I wouldn't remember."

I looked over at her curiously.

"Why's that?"

"Ah, well, I can never eat out. I don't have the time, or money, to splurge on nice food."

She froze up.

"Um, sorry, I just-"

"It's fine," I interrupted. "I get what you mean. I guess you're on scholarship then, huh?"

"Great guess-work! I am."

We ended up talking about a whole bunch of other topics such as music, what books we were interested in, places we've been and the like.

"Oh my goodness! AOT abridged was-"

BRING! BRING!

"Ah, poop! Just when we were getting to the good part!"

I sighed in agreement. I started packing up my stuff.

"Darn! I was going to start fan-girling. Oh well, looks like you'll have to wait to see that side of me."

I chuckled.

"Whoa! Did the Great Levi just chuckle?! I can't believe my ears! Shoot! I should have recorded it! Ah man!"

That made me start laughing.

"You... you must be the only person to have heard me laugh."

"Yay~! That makes me happy!" Eren said with a cheeky grin, completely oblivious to how important that really was.

I struggled to put my emotionless mask back on.

"Don't tell anyone, or I'll hunt you down."

Recognizing I was joking, she put on a poker face and said,

"Aye, Heichou! I promise. it will be our secret," she said with a wink.

"Did you just call me Heichou, brat?"

"Did you just call me a brat, Heichou?"

We had a glaring contest, and it was a tie for the win. I pressed on.

"So, did you?"

"Aye, Heichou."

"... There are no words."

That got her laughing. And when I say laughing, I mean a tinkling laugh that wasn't necessarily girly, but refreshing. And that was rare thing. I hated unnecessary noise, but I wouldn't mind listening to her laugh.

Eren wiped at the corners of her eyes and gave a contented sigh.

"Ah geez, I haven't laughed like that in a long time."

"You're one to talk. I haven't laughed at all. It felt weird."

Eren grinned at me in way of a response.

I wonder what time it is?

"Well! Let's get back to that tour! There's just a small section of the school left I have yet to show you."

"Fine, then get on with it."

"Aye, Heichou!"

I grunted.

Eren's P.O.V.

Just as I finished showing Levi the rest of the school, the final bell rang, signaling to the "poor students" that it was time to be "set free" from their "cages".

"Well, that was the last of the school, and the final bell. Great timing if I do say so myself."

In response to that, Levi just "Tch"ed.

"Did you just 'Tch' me? I hope not!"

Levi looked over at me, and I could tell he was thinking something mischievous by the way his eyes glinted.

"What are you going to do about it?" he said in a very provocative way. The way you say something to get on people's nerves.

Oh, I hate that question. It usually stumps me, because I can never actually do anything.

Flashes of that night present themselves in a series of images before my eyes.

Ugh, why now of all times?

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat, and put on a grin.

"I don't know. However, that doesn't mean I won't come up with something."

Levi looked at me with narrowed eyes, as if he knew something was wrong, but it looked like he decided against saying something.

"Eh? Okay then, I'll race you. If you win, then you can make me do one thing. Same rule applies to you. Deal?"

Since I had no better alternative, I agreed.

"Deal."

"Okay, I'll race you to the lockers."

I grinned and answered,

"You sure you can remember the way there, Greenie?"

"Did you just call me Greenie?"

"You bet I did!"

"Oh, you'll pay for that."

We lined ourselves up with the nearest pair columns and readied ourselves to run.

"On your mark... get set... GO!"

We bolted up and ran our hearts out.

I couldn't believe it, but I was falling behind.

How on earth?!

I stubbornly ran the rest of the way, and saw Levi leisurely leaning up against our lockers, inspecting his nails.

He looked up when he heard me approach and said rather nonchalantly,

"I do believe I won that."

"Yada, yada, yada. What are you going to make me do then?"

"Hmm, let's see..."

He tapped his chin thoughtfully, which only served to make me angrier.

"How about-"

"Oh, just spit it out already!"

Levi looked over at me and smirked, knowing he had gotten under my skin.

"I'm going to make you let me walk you home."

Did he... did he just?

I blinked.

Then I blinked again.

Nope, he's still there, still grinning. I'm not delusional. Yet. And here I thought he was going to make me suffer in a tremendous way, and all he wants to do is walk me home?

"Your face is hilarious right now."

That snapped me back to reality.

"Fine then!" I said hotly. "You'll walk me home."

"Great, it's settled then."

I stomped over to my locker, pretending to be mad, because honestly I was thrilled.

After we grabbed our bags, we set out, avoiding any other students.

As we walked, we picked up our earlier conversation, which inevitably led me to ranting about AOT abridged again.

"B-b-but, seriously though! I just, I can't, UGH!"

Levi looked amused at my rant.

What?! A fan-girl has to fan-girl!

"Hey, where do you live?"

He really knows how to bring me back to reality.

"Eh, we're here, actually."

We simultaneously looked up at the two-story brick house.

"Hey, so you think I could get your number?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Levi looked a little startled.

Wait, did I really just ask him for his number? Since when did my courage level rise? I'm getting bolder.

"Sure."

I perked up at his answer, since I was expecting him to say no. We both brought out our phones, and even if you didn't know us, you could tell whose was whose by the design and color scheme.

"Alright then! I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow!" I announced once the exchange was finished.

"I guess." Levi said in his usual bored tone.

I turned around and faced my house and immediately my previous happiness was shattered.

Oh no, I forgot! Please don't let him see that animal!

I walked up to my door cautiously, but it seemed luck was not on my side at the moment. Check back at a later time. The door slammed open, revealing the said animal.

"What makes you think you can be happy, you freak?! Get in here now!"

Suddenly, the animal grabbed my throat and my hands went to his hand, trying to loosen his grip unsuccessfully. He pulled me into the building, whilst slamming the door closed.

I was immediately thrown to the ground, where I coughed and wheezed, trying to coax the air back into my lungs.

"You piece of crap! You don't deserve friends! Or happiness! Or anything for that matter!"

With each word, Grisha either kicked me, punched me, or even spat on me savagely. I could feel my ribs snapping, and pain shot through my left arm like fire. I began to grow numb to the pain mercifully. This was one of the worst beatings I had ever received. And that was saying something.

My vision was tunneling, bringing me into the darkness that had saved me every time this happened.

But before the darkness completely enveloped me, the front door burst open, and someone kicked the animal off of me. I heard a thump and something sliding down, but I didn't really care at this point. All I wanted was the lingering pain to go away.

My savior called my name, but I could barely hear them. And with that, I floated away into the comforting embrace of dark nothingness


	5. The Hospital

Eren's P.O.V.

Darkness, that is all I can see.

Am I dead? No, I can still feel that unbearable pain. I can't believe I am still alive. I wonder what happened.

But where am I? I need to wake up. I need to go to school! I need to go to my job! And most importantly, I need to see Levi.

I need to wake up.

Levi's P.O.V.

~Flashback~

Eren turned to her house, and it looked as if her happiness had been shattered in the blink of an eye. She walked up to the front door, uneasily, from I could see from the way she was walking. That certainly didn't help my growing dread. But before she could open the door, a man slammed the door open and started shouting,

"What makes you think you can be happy, you freak?! Get in here!"

The man grabbed her by her throat, and her hands immediately went to his, grappling to get him to loosen up, but without success. He yanked her into the house, slamming the door behind him.

Anger boiled within me, reaching a fever pitch unlike anything I had ever experienced before.

How DARE he!

I streaked across the lawn to the front door, and then kicked it open with relative ease.

I could see that the man had kicked and punched her ruthlessly, and even more disgusting had spit on her, so I felt not a drop of sympathy or regret when I kicked him off of her so violently.

The man immediately blacked out from the impact, and so I turned to Eren, who was lying in a heap on the floor. Her arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, which worried me to no end. I could also see that she had a black eye. If there were any other ailments, then I couldn't see them, though there were several bruises. I called her name, but it appeared she had blacked out as well.

I pulled my phone out and dialed 9-1-1.

After a couple of rings, I was starting to get antsy, but I then heard a woman's voice come through the phone's speaker.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"

"My friend has blacked out from severe injuries. I have the culprit under control, but she needs immediate medical attention."

"Alright, sir, where are you?"

"I'm on Titan Avenue, house number 489. Please hurry." I said with an urgent tone.

"Don't worry, sir, help is on the way, along with the police. I need you to keep me on the phone until the help arrives, okay?"

"Fine."

I walked through the house, looking for the garage. I found the door, walked through and began searching for a piece of rope that would hold the animal. I found a suitable rope, walked back to the front hallway, and tied up my captive. I then knelt onto the ground beside Eren. I laid the phone on the ground and then as gently as possible placed her head on my lap. I stroked her hair out of her face, partly because it was annoying my OCD and the more guiltier part because I really wanted to touch her hair. After a couple of minutes, I heard sirens wailing as they approached the house.

Paramedics and officers rushed to the scene.

I told the lady on the phone that the help had arrived and then ended the call.

Eren was placed on a gurney and the unconscious man was untied, and then handcuffed.

I walked up to the nearest paramedic and asked,

"Could I ride with her?"

They looked around, looking like they were trying to make up their mind, and then replied,

"Technically, you have to be a family member, but since I don't see anyone else I might as well let you. Just don't tell on me, okay?"

I nodded, and then hopped in beside Eren and watched as they hooked her up to several monitors.

"The patient as a broken arm, several broken ribs, and she is suffering from blood loss. She also has several bruises all over her body that I can tell of and a black eye."

Then, a EMT asked out of nowhere,

"Wait, isn't this Eren?"

My heart stopped.

How did he know who Eren was?

"Oh goodness, it is. The poor girl. How many times is this now? Five? Six, maybe? Why is she still living with that monster? And why hasn't he been arrested already?"

Another EMT replied,

"Focus, we need to get her some blood. We're almost to the hospital."

My mind was in a whirl.

This isn't the first time? But... how?

That explains it: the sad look in her eyes, the pain. How long has she been like this?

The ambulance pulled up front of the Garrison Hospital and wheeled Eren through the front doors. They wheeled her down a few hallways to a set of silver doors. I rushed to Eren's side, intent on staying with her, until a nurse stopped me with a hand on my shoulder saying,

"I am sorry sir, but you cannot go back there. Eren requires surgery. I'm afraid you can't come in. Please wait over there," she said while pointing to a couple of chairs in front of the door against the wall.

Knowing I could nothing, I "Tch"ed and sat down.

~End of Flashback~

It's been two friggin' hours! How long does a blasted surgery take?! And doesn't anyone else care, besides me? Where is her family?

Suddenly, the heavy doors opened and a doctor in scrubs walked towards me.

I stood up and prepared to throw a punch if they tell me they messed up and Eren's now... no, she's fine. She has to be. I must be over-exaggerating. Please tell me that.

"Well?" I said harshly. "How is she?"

"Please, calm down, it went well. I came to inform you about a personal matter, though. About Eren,"

This caught my attention, but I still held my emotionless face. Though I was surging with relief on the inside. Eren could have probably seen that...

"What is it?" I asked in a monotone.

"Please, sit down. It's quite a long story."

So, we sat down.

"Why are you going to tell me about Eren's personal life?"

"Because you are the only person who has ever waited for her when she was in surgery."

What? Doesn't Eren have any friends? She seems like the kind of person to have a ton of friends. And family! Where are they?

"No, Eren does not have any friends or relatives."

My head shot up to glare at him suspiciously.

"How did you know what I was thinking?"

The doctor held his hands up in a placating gesture.

"Please calm down, it just seemed like the logical thing you would be questioning at this moment."

I only grunted at his answer.

"Would you like to hear Eren's story?"

What could possibly be so bad that it could lead to this? I guess I have no choice but to listen if I want the answer to that.

"Yes."

"Alright then. When Eren was first admitted to the hospital, she had lost a lot of blood. I had to dig around in her files to see what blood type she was since no one was waiting in the waiting room for her and she didn't know herself. As I was going through her files, I glanced upon her history of recent injuries. The one that stood out to me was when she was ten years old. She was admitted to the hospital for stitches on her abdomen for a knife wound. My interest was piqued. How did a ten year old manage to get a knife wound? I know that it was none of my business, but I went to the police and asked. Reluctantly, they told me that Eren and her father had moved to America from Germany after Eren and her mother had been kidnapped, though I still wonder why they even told me that. Her father was at work. When police finally tracked them down from footprints they found on the floor that didn't match anyone's feet in the household, they found a starved Eren's mother and herself with four men, all on the floor. The mother and men were all dead, except Eren, who was merely unconscious. Paramedics had taken her to the hospital and treated her for a knife wound."

My eyes had widened with each sentence the doctor spoke.

"Eren was covered in the blood of every person. Her mother's because she had collapsed on top of her. And each man as well, because she had killed them." I gave him a confused look at this. The doctor smiled slightly and continued, "You are probably wondering how I knew she had killed them. It's simple: when Eren woke up in the hospital, police asked her for details. She only said this: 'I rid the world of four animals, who had murdered my mother and joked about it.' Police had obviously assumed Eren meant the four kidnappers had killed her mother and Eren killed them in revenge. No one said anything, thinking that Eren was already mentally abusing herself and did not require anything more punishment than that, but the memories were too much, so Eren and her father had moved away. Since then, her father had presumably blamed Eren for her mother's death. He stole her money that she worked for at her job and beat her. She said as much when under anesthesia. This is now the seventh time she has been admitted to the hospital, but that doesn't mean she hasn't been beaten before. However, this is the first time Grisha has been caught in the act and arrested."

Oh Eren...

"I want to thank you for being here for Eren. And also helping with the capture of Grisha Jaeger."

"Tch," I said. "If I had known all of that, I wouldn't have let him off so easily."

"I'm not surprised."

Just then, another doctor came out and said Eren could now see visitors, though she was asleep so I had to be quiet. She was in room 237.

I stood up, and turned to the first doctor.

"Thank you for telling me all of that."

The doctor only nodded, so I turned and raced to Eren's room.

The door was open slightly, so I let myself in.

Oh geez, she looks dreadful.

Eren was hooked up to another set of monitors, and she had an IV in her arm. She was terribly pale, but she was breathing normally, and without a mask, which I was grateful for. Her arm was in a cast, and I could imagine her sides were wrapped in bandages as well. She wore an eye-patch which I was guessing was helping the swelling to the black eye. Her lip was cut, and I could see bruises popping up everywhere.

Anger boiled up within me for the second time today. All I wanted to do was pay him back for everything.

He will regret every single little injury he ever bestowed on her. I will make sure of that. Every insult. Everything.

"Le... vi..."

My thoughts came to a crashing halt. I looked over at the source of the noise.

It looked like Eren was sleeping peacefully, and had only said my name in her sleep.

I smiled slightly, a big contrast to my earlier expression, and I walked over to the side of the bed that her good arm was on. I pulled up a chair and watched her sleep, which was kind of boring since that was all she was doing. I was thankful that she didn't snore.

This is sort of creepy. Why am I watching her sleep? Oh goodness, what if they think I am just some creepy stalker? You know what? I honestly do not give a piece of crap.

I reached over and grabbed her hand.

Oh, I hope she doesn't wake up like this, that would be hard to explain.

I found that the day had worn me out, and I soon fell asleep myself, using her bed as a pillow, still holding her hand.

Eren's P.O.V.

Cold, so cold, and so dark.

Wait, what is this warmth? I need to wake up! I need to find the source of this warmth!

My eyes opened slightly, which took a tremendous effort.

Agh! So bright! Turn that light off! Ugh... I feel terrible. Wait, that warmth...

My eyes opened a little more, and I looked over at the source.

What... who... whose hand is this?

Someone was holding my hand, and it felt kind of familiar, so I followed with my eyes up the hand, to the arm, and from there I could see the sleeping face of Levi Ackerman.

Wait, Levi?!

Levi was asleep in a chair, but he still held my hand.

I smiled slightly, and squeezed his hand with what energy and strength I could muster.

After a couple moments, his eyes fluttered open, which I thought was really cute. He first looked at our hands, then he looked at me, and his eyes widened slightly.

Goodness gracious, this guy is so cute!

I was silently fan-girling so hard right now.

He said in a small voice,

"Oh, uhm, hey..."

He tried drawing his hand back, but I wasn't about to let him take this comforting warmth away from me.

I giggled at his expression. He looked slightly confused, but I also wasn't about to explain to him why I wasn't letting him remove his hand form mine.

"Heh heh, hello Levi."

My voice sounded unused, which was warranted I suppose. Levi gave his signature glare, which was totally lost on me, and he had yet to learn about this fact.

"What's so funny?"

"Right now? Your face is just so adorable," I said cheekily.

That made him glare a little harsher, and I was still immune to it.

"N-no it's not, brat."

"A-ha! You stuttered! Point- Eren!"

"Tch, whatever, you silly brat."

"I am not a brat."

"You most certainly are."

"Are not!"

He gave an annoyed "Tch". But he soon grew somber. He looked at me, and in that moment I knew he knew everything.

"Eren..."

"... You know about it, don't you." It was more of a statement then a question.

"I do."


	6. The Reveal

Levi's P.O.V.

"... You know about it, don't you." I could tell Eren wasn't really asking.

"I do."

Eren nodded, but then a look of confusion crossed over her face.

"Then why are you still here?"

Her question caught me a little off guard.

Why am I here? I guess the answer is actually pretty simple. I don't know if I am interpreting this right, because this would be the first time... I think I like her... a lot. But I don't think I could ever say that out loud.

"Tch."

I stood up and placed my knee on the hospital bed. I placed my hands on either side of her, looking her in the eye. Looking back on this, I realize this was very intimate, but I couldn't help myself around her. She looked incredibly startled, like a deer caught in the headlights of a truck. I leaned forward a bit as to emphasize my point and said in a soft but affirmative tone,

"Eren, you can't get rid of me that easily, you know."

She just stared at me with wide eyes, shock pronounced on her features. I could also detect a small blush painting her cheeks.

Oh, I want to kiss her. Control yourself, Levi!

Tears began to form in her eyes.

Splendid job, Levi. You made her cry. Well friggin' done.

It was kind of beautiful, in a way. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not a sadistic person. But I just couldn't help thinking that it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. Small crystal clear tears rolled down her cheeks. It made her eyes sparkle, which I had a feeling didn't happen a lot. She looked like she wanted to do something, but was trying to decide to go through with it or not.

I realized I was still on top of her, so I moved to get off. But Eren had decided what she wanted to do.

All of the sudden, arms wrapped around me, and I felt a face pressed against my chest. I looked down and I was a little surprised at what I was seeing.

Eren...?

She was hugging me, but she was shaking slightly, as if she was afraid she was doing something wrong and awaiting for me to hit her for it.

A small smile found it's way to my lips.

I can't believe she's hugging me... Wait a minute, she's hugging me. Crap! No, stop it, heart! Don't speed up! She'll hear you! Tch, blast it all.

Oh, what the heck.

I tentatively wrapped my arms around her. My heart didn't show any signs of stopping either. Eren tensed at first, but slowly eased into my embrace. She finally stopped quivering which was good. I am pretty sure any movement she made hurt her a lot. I didn't want her to be scared of me. But she then said something surprising.

"Please, don't leave me."

My eyes widened in surprise. Why would she say that? I asked in my usual monotone,

"Tch, why would you say that, brat?"

She squeezed a little tighter before she answered.

"No one has ever stayed before once they learned about my past. I have no family, not unless you're counting the animal. I don't try to make any friends in fear they might reject me, because I know for a fact they'll leave once they know. They always have. But, you're the first person who has stayed. Ever. And I don't want to lose you."

She leaned away, and looked down.  
"B- But I will understand if you want to leave. I won't stop you. It would be embarrassing for you if people caught you being near me. I-"

I pressed my hand against her mouth. Her eyes widened when I leaned in close.

"You obviously weren't listening earlier. I'm not going anywhere, and I meant it. Nothing you can say or do will ever change that. Your past means nothing to me. I know what you did, and I know why you did it. If it were me, I most definitely would do the same thing. If people can't realize that, then they are all jerks and they're stupid. I don't want to hear another word from you about the possibility of me leaving, because there is no chance whatsoever. It will never ever happen. Understood?"

She was crying again, and the tears were falling gently onto my hand. She simply nodded her head and closed her eyes.

I removed my hand, pressing my forehead against hers instead. We stayed this way, eyes closed, both of us just enjoying each others company in silence.

We eventually moved on the bed so that our backs were leaning against the headboard. Eren had cried herself to sleep. I wasn't sure if they were happy or sad tears, but that is what she did. Eren was leaning her head on my shoulder, breathing deep and evenly. I had my arms around her gently, but in a protective hold. A nurse had come in earlier to check on Eren, to which I scared her off with a glare. Thought I noted that she had short orange hair, and she was short as well. I had texted my parents to tell them that I would be staying at the hospital overnight with a friend. Not that they actually cared or anything. The heart rate monitor was annoying at first, but it eventually lulled me into sleep's embrace again.

Eren's P.O.V.

I screamed and slashed at the beasts, cursing them. Why did they do it? Why did they kill my mother? How could they? What did she ever do to them? I didn't understand, and I don't think I ever will. I just let my rage overcome me.

"Eren."

What? Who are you? Can't you see I'm not in the mood?

"Eren."

Whoever you are, stop calling my name!

"Eren!"

Gasp!

My eyes jerked open and I bolted up, pressing my hand to my head. My head was pounding again and I was drenched in sweat. I was also gasping for air, as if I couldn't get enough.

A cold hand touched my arm, making me flinch violently and my ribs to give off a spike of pain.

"Eren."

I looked up at the person who was calling my name. A small part of my brain registered that this was also the person calling my name in the dream.

Levi.

Tears welled in my eyes and I couldn't stop them falling no matter how hard I willed them not to.

"Shh... you're okay now, Eren. Everything's going to be fine."

Levi pulled me into him gently, as to not set off any spikes of pain from my injuries. I sobbed my heart out. But he just kept whispering words of encouragement to me, stroking my hair. It calmed me down considerably, and I was extremely grateful that he was there.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head to his question.

"Not yet... let me settle down first..."

"Okay."

After a few minutes, I did just that. It was only a bad memory now, not like it usually was. It would usually haunt me throughout the entirety of the day. But not this time. Not with Levi.

My crying became small sniffles from time to time. Levi, sensing this, asked,

"Are you okay now?"

"Yes, thank you, Levi."

He's such a good person... how did I ever manage to find him?

"Tch, just be quiet. The heart monitor was almost at the point where the nurses would have had to intervene. I managed to wake you up in time."

Flashes of that night sprang into my vision. It made me tense up and stop all movement.

"Eren?"

As soon as he spoke, the images slunk away. I realized I was tense, so I relaxed my muscles.

"Sorry, every once in a while images of... that night... flash before my eyes and sometimes send me into a panic attack."

He nodded.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it? It might help to share."

I thought about it. Levi had been there for me where no one else has. I decided he should know. It wasn't like he didn't already know. These were just the details.

I breathed in and began my tail of woe.

"It was like any other night, I suppose. My mother was making dinner for the three of us, my dad was still at work, and I was in my room reading. I heard a crash downstairs. I bolted out of my room, thinking my mother had hurt herself, only to find two men hovering over my mom's unconscious body and two others pillaging the house. I, being my ten-year-old self, screamed in fright, alerting the men to my presence. One of the men pointed a gun at me, telling me to walk over to them slowly. So I did, not wanting to get shot. They instantly knocked me out, and I woke up in an empty, dilapidated cabin. I was tied to a chair, and I could tell my mother was beside me. I was there for a total of two weeks. I was barely fed, and my mother was given little to nothing. I suppose we were going to be sold off, because they didn't beat us. Then, on the night that we were supposed to be taken to the selling point, they moved my mother and I to the front room. My mother.. she... she launched herself at the men, but she was weak. I was laying on the ground, staring at the sky. I could barely function. But I heard her scream. I turned to see her laying on the floor choking on her own blood. I remember that she smiled at me before... before she died. But the blasted men merely laughed at her, as if she was just a pitiful being. I can't tell you just how angry I was. All I wanted was to make them pay. In a blur of motion, I ripped the rope around my wrists to shreds and launched myself at the man responsible for her death. I clawed the knife out of his hands and plunged it into him. I can barely remember much, but I do remember their shocked faces. In turn, I killed each of them, screaming until I could scream no more. The clearest image I have is the men surrounding me, all in the same position as my mother, staring at the sky with glazed-over eyes laying on the ground. I remember looking down at the knife in my hands, and saw that both the knife and my hands were drenched in blood. I sobbed, dropped the knife, and fell down beside my mom's lifeless body. The next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital and the police had come asking questions."

When I finished, I felt for the first time a fresh wave of tears had started their journey down my face. But I also realized that Levi was right: I felt much better. I bowed my head, trying to rid myself of the terrible memories. Levi stroked my head. I looked up, and all he did was nod in understanding.

I smiled at him, the best smile I had ever made since my mother's death. It appeared that it had an unusual effect on him , because he started blushing. Immediately, my earlier gloom evaporated, and I could only think about the cute blush that had risen to his cheeks.

"Ha! You're blushing! The Monotone King has blushed!"

"Tch, what a brat."

"Not a brat."

"Yes you are."

"Nu uh."

"Yes."

"No."

"No."

"Yes."

"Thanks for agreeing with me."

I face-palmed, completely unaware that he had so easily cured me of unhappy memories, and wiped the remaining traces of tears.

"Gosh darn it!"

He merely chuckled.

"Wait! Don't turn the conversation on me! You were blushing! Ha ha! I am never going to let you live that down."

Just then, he leaned in so close our noses were touching. He said in a very seductive manner,

"Oh really?"

Oh good heavens, that brought an immediate blush to my face.

He chuckled darkly.

"Now who's blushing?"

That made me angry.

"I guess we're matching, huh?"

Oh crap, he looks really scary.

I gulped.

Please don't kill me! Have mercy!

"You sure are very brave, young lady."

"I'm not s-scared of you!"

He gave me an extremely evil grin.

"You sure about that, brat?"

"Y-Yes! And stop calling me a brat!"

Stop stuttering, Eren! Gosh!

"You don't sound too sure, brat," completely ignoring my command.

"I am! I am sure!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes!"

"Prove it."

Wait, what?

"Huh?"

"I said prove it. Prove you're not scared of me."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

Well this escalated quickly.

"Well, let's see. Do something you normally wouldn't do to people."

I blinked. Then I blinked again.

HUH?! You know what? I'm not going to let him push me around any more. Let's tease him for a change.

I molded my face into a grin, sending Levi into an uneasy stance.

"You wanna play? I'll play. Hmm..." I tapped my chin in mock thought, copying his stance when he was at the lockers. "Oh, I know. This should be fun."

Levi started to lose his earlier façade of maliciousness.

Let's make him blush again, huh?

"Let me show you just how not scared of you I am. Then you can't question me afterwards, alright?"

"Tch, whatever, brat."

"He he, good!"

I leaned in so that our noses were touching again. His eyes grew wider the father I leaned in.

I grinned so evilly. And pecked him on the nose.

Bwuahahahaha! Look at his face! He's blushing so hard!

"Ha ha ha! Where's my camera? I need to take a picture!"

I reached with my good arm over to the bedside table where I could see my phone had been placed. But just as my fingers were about to wrap around it, my arm was grabbed.

"Whoa!"

Both of my arms were suddenly restrained, though not in a rough manner. I could also tell my legs weren't going to work either. I was flipped over so that I had no choice but to meet the assailant's eyes. I looked up to see the icy glare of Levi Ackerman. The Monotone King had me pinned to the bed, albeit carefully. His icy glare meant I shouldn't prod him further over the edge or I'll regret it deeply. No sign of his earlier blush existed.

"No. Pictures." His voice suggested that I had no choice in this matter.

I just stared at him in shock, but it looked like he wanted an answer.

I held my hands up in a placating gesture as best as I could, with my arms pinned down. "Okay, okay I get it. No pictures."

He nodded and let go. No sooner had he done so, I grabbed for my phone again. And yet again I was stopped. But this time, he just trapped my hands behind my back, making sure not to twist my broken arm.

"Do you not understand English?"

"Who said I was going to take pictures?"

"You make a fair point. However, it was obvious what your intentions were."

"True enough, I suppose. But I can't help but wonder why you don't want your picture taken. Are you a wanted criminal or something?"

"No, but even if I were, what would you do?"

"Nothing. I said I wanted you to never leave, and just like you, nothing you could do would change that."

"Hmm, well good thing I am not a criminal. However, I absolutely detest having my picture taken. So please refrain from doing so. But since you have already proven yourself not to be trusted, I'm confiscating your phone."

"Hey, that's not fair!"

"Life's not fair, sweetheart. Get used to it."

"Did you just call me sweetheart?"

He just grabbed my phone and placed it in what I suppose was his backpack. He let go, and looked me in the eye. Then he did something totally unexpected.

He winked at me.

Did he just?

Another blush rose to my cheeks, which he noticed. Unfortunately. But he only chuckled. Darkly, I might add.

"It appears you blush easily."

"I can't help it! You keep doing things that cause it!"

"Oh?"

"Yes! If you don't like it, then stop causing it!"

"Well, unfortunately for you, I find it very cute. So I am just going to have to keep doing it."

That didn't help my blush any. I looked away and answered,

"You've gotten cocky recently."

He said,

"I've always been cocky. Whether I've shown you that side of me or not doesn't mean I'm not."

"Hmm, you make a valid point."

"Of course I do."

"I'll make you pay for all of this blushing."

"Sure you will."

I just smirked and laid myself down on the bed, hugging the pillow to me. Unconsciously, I snuggled into Levi's frame a bit more. A sudden thought occurred to me.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"Hm? Oh, I've already done my schoolwork. I had the school send it to me."

"What? Seriously?!"

He gave me a sly grin.

"No, I'm not giving you the answers."

"I wasn't planning on asking!"

"Uh huh, right."

"Seriously! I like doing my own work, thank you very much. And besides, you might be wrong."

He deadpanned and said,

"I'm never wrong."

I copied his expression and replied,

"Oh? What makes you so sure?"

"My grades."

"How do I know if you're merely cheating or not?"

"I don't cheat."

"Right..."

"I don't."

"I totally believe you. Truly, I do."

"And what about you?" Levi asked. "I know you have to have a job, because that stupid Grisha wouldn't give you nice clothes. Or money."

"My boss is like the mother I never had. She understands my situation. She goes easy on me, though I tell her not to," I huffed in annoyance at that last part.

A nurse came in to check on me, just as Levi was about to make his oh-so-wonderful comeback. I recognized her as Petra Ral. She normally was the nurse who took care of me in my stay in the hospital. I liked her a lot, she was super sweet, and she was close to my age.

"I've come to inform you that you can leave after a couple more nights for observation. However, you do not have a legal guardian to take care of you since you have no relatives. We can put you in a foster-"

"No!" I abruptly said. The nurse looked a little startled. "Um, sorry, I don't want to go to a foster home, please."

"Then do you have anyone willing to take care of you?"

I was crestfallen. I didn't have anyone.

"I will."

Both the nurse and I swiveled around to look at Levi."

"I mean, my parents can. I come from a rich family, and we have plenty of spare bedrooms. I have a brother and a sister as well. If my parents don't mind, then she can stay with me."

Oh, he must be a saint. I am going to live with him? This can't be happening!

Petra smiled. "If you get your parent's consent, and Eren's, then that sounds like an excellent solution."

She turned to me and asked,

"Eren, are you fine with this arrangement?"

I looked at her, then I looked at Levi. What else would my answer be?

"Absolutely!"


	7. The Family

Levi's P.O.V.

Eren was currently signing herself out of the hospital. She seemed thrilled when I offered my place for her to stay. I was glad for that. It seemed we had formed a very close bond, one we could literally see between us. It was almost if we could reach out and touch it.

I, myself, was sitting in the lobby, waiting for Eren to get done with all of the paperwork since I had no clue how to do all of that. It was kind of sad, really. Eren had no one to do this for her, and she knew how to fill out the form correctly. But it didn't seem to bother her.

Before I knew it, Eren was handing the pen and clipboard back to the receptionist, the latter giving a kind smile, which was returned. Eren walked towards me, with a look that was part sadness, but mostly happiness. When she was about five feet away from me, I stood up and slung both backpacks over my shoulder. I started walking towards the front door. I heard footsteps behind me, and I felt a small tug on one of the backpack's straps.

"Hey, Levi, let me carry one of these."

"No."

"Bu-"

No."

At this point, Eren had caught up to me and was walking side by side with me. I could see her throw her hands up in exasperation. She no longer wore the eye-patch, which was good because she looked weird with it on.

"Geez, you certainly are stubborn, I'll give you that."

"Hello pot, meet kettle."

Eren made a noise similar to choking, and fixed me with a playful glare.

"Well that was rude," she said as we walked out the automatic sliding doors together.

"I meant it that way," I replied with a smirk.

I reached into the back pocket of my jeans for my car keys.

"So what kind of car do you have?"

I finally latched onto the elusive keys, which really shouldn't be that difficult but hey, that's my life.

"You'll see."

She sighed.

"Why do you always have to be so vague? It grates on a girl's nerves."

I merely ignored her and walked into the lot, searching for my car. But since, and I'm only going to say this once and if you asked me if I ever said this I will deny everything, I am so short, I just used the unlock button as a "signal flare" to get the car to light up.

After a couple of tries, I finally found my car and proceeded to walk towards it.

When Eren saw my car, her eyes widened so much it was a wonder she didn't experience any physical damage.

"T-t-this is your car?!" She managed to stutter out after three minutes of silence.

"No, I stole someone's very expensive car and they didn't bother to look for it. Obviously it's my car," I finished with an eye roll.

She rolled her eyes at me as well.

I had a black W-Motors Lykan Hypersport that I received for my sixteenth birthday. This was my pride and joy. I had to catch a ride on the train, which was disgusting and filthy and full of drug addicts I can imagine, and then walk the rest of the way to school to get my car. I wasn't about to leave her there overnight at a brat-filled dump.

"When you said you were rich... you weren't kidding, huh?"

I smirked and replied,

"No, I wasn't."

She shook her head in a dumbfounded manner and gestured weakly to the pristine car.

"So, am I allowed to even breathe on this thing?"

"I would think there was something wrong with you, but if you want to, sure."

She chuckled dryly.

"Alright then, hop in," I said, unlocking the door simultaneously.

Eren nervously walked over to the passenger's side and gingerly opened the door. Easing herself in, Eren attempted to get comfortable in the pricey car. I, for my part, slid in with practiced ease and pushed the ignition button.

Pulling out of the hospital parking lot, I made my way to Eren's house so she can decide what she wanted to bring to my house.

"Tell me about your family, Levi. I'd like to have background information on them, if you don't mind."

I thought for a moment, then began to describe the pandemonium that was my home.

"I have two adopted siblings, Isabel and Farlan. Farlan is more cool and collected, but he is an adorable teddy bear who is always thinking of everyone's well-being. Isabel is just a rambunctious child who tries to act cool, but she is the most lovable person you'll ever meet. They were adopted into my family around five years ago. The sad truth behind it though was that my parents only adopted them as a publicity stunt. I like to think of my parents as only connected to me by blood, since we show no other connection besides that. The silver lining is that it brought Isabel and Farlan to me. But even when the campaign was over, they still kept them, which I am very grateful for. I don't necessarily want to talk about my parents, but maybe I'll tell you about them another time. But you can stay, but they will probably try to take all of the credit and say it was all their idea to take you in."

I paused, allowing that to sink in. Then I realized something.

"Wow, I'm not usually this talkative. And I don't usually open up to people, let alone people I barely know."

Eren was silent for a moment, just continuing to stare out the window. She soon replied,

"I know how you feel. I never talk to anyone, and here I am moving in with an almost complete stranger, talking to them as if I have known them all my life."

She turned to me and continued.

"I have never felt like I could be as open with someone like I feel with you. You just make me feel so safe, as if nothing will ever happen to me. I can completely be myself and I can truly feel emotions."

She stopped and looked away shyly.

"Sorry, I keep dumping stuff like that on you."

What she said rang true through me as well. I felt honored that she felt she could feel safe with me. And I can imagine she has rarely, if ever, felt that way. I can pretty much relate to what she said.

"No, don't be sorry. I am relieved and glad that you feel like you could be safe with me. It is a great privilege."

We had now come up to Eren's driveway.

"Let's get you your clothes, shall we?"

We both exited the vehicle and walked up to the front door, Eren opening it easily because no one had locked it when everything happened.

The front door opened into a small hallway, and you could see the staircase on the left. If you followed the hallway, you would find a kitchen, and from there it led to a living room. The dining room was on the other side of the kitchen. The place wasn't well furnished, but enough so that you could be comfortable. There were no pictures and none of the walls were painted. The furniture was cheap and there was barely any food in the fridge. Beer bottles, vodka bottles, or basically any kind of liquor bottles were thrown around the kitchen. There were dishes piled up in the sink, and the trash can needed to be taken out. Disgusted, I retraced my steps so that I was now walking up the staircase. From the landing, you followed another hallway and you found three doors, and again, none of the walls were painted and there were no pictures. One door led to a bathroom, and another led to what I presumed was Grisha's room. There was the third door at the end of the hallway which must have been Eren's room. I could hear drawers opening and closing, and a door opening inside. I let myself in to find a clean room, surprisingly. No clothes were strewn across the floor, and the bed was made. A suitcase was placed on top and was steadily growing more and more with every article of clothing placed inside. I could hear Eren in the walk-in closet I could see across the room. And there was a small bathroom on the same wall. Eren walked out with clothes heaped in her arms. She spilled them on the bed and began folding them neatly into the suitcase. I moved to help her and began copying her actions. Soon enough, her room was completely packed, closet emptied, bathroom spotless, and three suitcases were now filled to the brim with clothes, shoes, and toiletries. It seemed Eren couldn't get out of there fast enough. I took two suitcases, while she took the third. She didn't complain because she couldn't get another even if she tried because of her arm.

We walked outside, and Eren and I deposited her bag into the back of my car and I followed suit. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a set of keys which turned out to be the house's keys. She came back and hopped into the car after locking up, a determined expression painting her features. I followed her example, and turned the ignition on after closing my door. We then set off in silence for my house.

Eren's P.O.V.

This was a house?! No possible way! It's a castle, it has to be! How could one family have this big of a house? And how did I not see this sooner when we were coming up the driveway? It's ginormous!

The house in question was five stories tall and had luscious green ivy growing up along the walls, but in a way that was elegant. Windows lined the stone walls. The driveway was shaped in a circle, with one entrance/exit which led to an excessive road lined with oak trees that led to a beautiful black grill gate guarded by roaring stone gryphons and well-trimmed hedges. Marble steps led up to a set of big, dark oak doors with reinforced iron painted black formed in an ivy pattern. On the rooftops there were turrets standing, placed on either side of the mansion, so that it resembled horns. Levi drove to the side of the house and I saw that there was a hidden passageway that I presumed led to an underground garage. Levi drove down and must have driven over a sensor because lights flickered on, illuminating said garage. I could see that many vehicles were stored down here. Levi silently parked his car and turned it off. He looked over at me for a sign of a reaction. I didn't want to make him feel bad so I gave him a care-free smile. He seemed to accept that and opened the car door to come around to my side and open the door for me.

He gave a little bow and said,

"Mademoiselle," with a flourish of his hand.

Following his lead, I put a delicate hand over my mouth and gave a silent giggle, then placing my hand in his. He pulled me up to my feet, winking, and then grabbing my bags from the back of the car. We then headed to the entrance to the house. I took a quick look around the garage. It was fashionably modeled, with white walls and modern work benches lining the east wall. Little projects coated the surfaces. We arrived at the door and Levi opened it, stepping through.

"I'm home," he shouted. We placed my suitcases on the ground.

There was an instant response as I heard footsteps thundering down the grand staircase that dominated the room. I took a second to examine the room. The house was lavishly decorated, the exact opposite of mine. It was smartly decorated though. There was a beautiful granite fireplace over on one wall with a few chairs and table surrounding it. On the other side, there was a small little fountain. I strained to see what was in it and was surprised to find that it actually was a Koi pond. I was yanked back to the grand marble staircase, which I forgot to mention was lined with a fine carpet, as a pig-tailed red head came sprinting over to Levi.

"Levi-aniki!"

She pounced on him and gave what appeared to be a crushing hug because Levi gave a small grunt in response. But it seemed he didn't mind because he gave a small, adoring and caring smile and hugged her back as best as he could manage since his arms were pinned.

"I missed you! Why were you gone for so long?"

"The reason is actually standing over there."

The girl and Levi simultaneously looked over at me. Suddenly shy, I gave a timid smile and a small wave.

Her eyes widened and she gave an enormous smile that I was certain was going to cause some form of brain damage.

"Levi-aniki, did you finally get a girlfriend? Yay! It's about time!"

I immediately blushed so hard I could feel it burning my face. I sputtered out,

"U-u-um, n-no, I'm n-not his g-girlfriend. We just m-met on his first day of s-school."

Levi, for his part, stayed silent. He looked unperturbed but the small pink blush on his face gave away his embarrassment.

It seemed like the girl saw this too.

"Levi-aniki! You're blushing! This has never happened before! Wow~!"

Levi "Tch"ed again and rolled his eyes, the blush immediately dissipating.

"I don't blush, Izzy."

"But you just did! I saw it!" The girl, Izzy, or Isabel I presumed, replied fervently.

"You're delusional."

"What? No I am not! Ne, girl, didn't you see him blush?"

Isabel turned to me and Levi gave me a look behind her back that said "I will kill you if you say yes". Between death by Levi and telling Isabel the truth... Oh, this will be fun. Though I am probably gong to pay for this later.

"I did," I said grinning.

Levi death-glared me. Isabel started laughing hysterically.

"Ha ha ha ha! See, Levi-aniki? I'm not delusional! Ha ha!"

Levi turned to me and said in a deadly monotone,

"You'll pay for that."

Knew it. Totally worth it though.

"We shall see," I replied in a sing-song voice.

"Oh, I like her already!" Isabel exclaimed. She ran up to me and tackle-hugged me, making us both fall down. on the cool gray marble floor.

"Oof!"

Isabel had obviously not noticed my arm was in a cast or the way I gingerly walked around. I didn't mind though. Partly because I was used to this kind of pain, and partly because I really enjoyed her over-enthusiastic hugs.

Levi gave me a worried look, but I just smiled and winked at him.

"Levi-aniki! I want her!"

"Tch, you can't have her. She's mine."

That made me blush severely. Isabel looked at Levi incredulously.

"Levi! Do you know how possessive that sounded? Oh my gosh!"

Levi looked stunned with himself, and his face was so priceless I cracked up.

They both turned to look at me, Isabel looking down at me from her position on top of me and Levi from his position a few feet away. I just laughed and laughed despite the fact that the heavy weight known as Isabel was causing me all sorts of pain. She started laughing too, earning us both a weird look from Levi.

After a while, I calmed down and wiped the tear from the corner of my eyes after tugging my good arm loose. I was ignoring the pain in my sides.

"Ah, that was funny. Um, Isabel dear, do you mind getting off of me? I'm having a hard time breathing."

Isabel scrambled off as quickly as humanly possible and offered me a hand.

"Ha ha! Sorry about that. I'd introduce myself but it seems you already know my name. What's yours?"

"Eren Jaeger," I said, grabbing her hand as she hauled me up off of the floor. I brushed myself off of any dirt, which there wasn't, and turned to Levi.

"So, I met Isabel, which your description was spot on about her, but I haven't met Farlan. If he's any bit as awesome as Isabel I'm gong to be jealous. I've always wanted siblings," I said, smiling and ruffling Isabel's hair, to which she giggled.

"Farlan was at soccer practice, but he should be home soon," Isabel replied for Levi.

I smiled warmly at her and wrapped my undamaged arm around her shoulders, drawing her into me while saying to Levi,

"I like her too, Levi. I think I'm going to like it here a lot."

His eyes widened a bit, but he smiled back.

"I'm glad," he replied.

Isabel squealed,

"OTP!" and started prancing around us in a circle.

Levi glared at her but I just chuckled at the adorable girl. Suddenly, the garage door opened and in came a fair-haired blond. He was tall, handsome, and carried himself with a quiet air of superiority. He had all of these bags on his arms and shoulders. He sighed a tired sigh when walking through the door. On impulse, I rushed over and grabbed as many bags as I could carry and set them down on the steps. Levi and Isabel turned to me with confused looks while the male looked a little mystified. I only shrugged off their unspoken questions and said,

"He looks tired, so I thought I would help him out."

Levi just shook his head and chuckled while Isabel smiled warmly at me. The male, which I also presumed was Farlan, for his part, looked at me with surprise. He turned to Levi and asked,

"Where did you pick up this angel? And can we keep her?"

Isabel cracked up and Levi gave off a defensive aura.

"I didn't 'pick her up', she's a friend from school, the one I was telling you guys about over the phone. Though I do have to agree that she is an angel. And no, you cannot keep her."

Farlan turned to Isabel.

"OTP?"

She grinned and answered,

"OTP."

I blushed again while Levi threw his hands up into the air with an exasperated groan.

"Eren, let's go, before these two jackwagons decide to do something."

He grabbed my wrist and one of my suitcases and began to climb the stairs.

I could hear Isabel and Farlan whispering together and looking up at us occasionally. It gave me an uneasy feeling when they both started to grin.

Uh oh, what are they planning?

Levi sighed.

"Tch, siblings."

I merely laughed quietly to myself and answered,

"They seem like good people. I envy you."

Levi gave a quiet and warm smile to no one in particular.

"Yeah, they are."

Up the staircase, through pristine halls with various portraits hung on deep green wallpaper, past door after door we traveled. Up and up more staircases until we reached a door that led up even more stairs to what I guessed was the right turret.

Levi turned and said,

"I'm afraid this was the only room we had left that wasn't otherwise claimed by one family member or friend or another. Though, I kind of jealous. It's quiet and peaceful up there."

Levi opened the door and continued up the staircase. By now, my feet were tired and all I wanted to do was collapse into a chair. We finally reached the room and I let out a small gasp.

It's so amazing!

I don't know who did it or how they knew my favorite things, but they had somehow created my dream room. The walls were painted a light gray color and all of the furniture was black. I had a loft bed with red bedding and two pillows with black pillow cases and a fancy desk underneath. There were bookshelves lining the walls stocked full of books. A wardrobe was placed on one side of the circular room to accommodate my clothes. I saw that someone must like me because there was a MacBook sitting on the desk. A table lamp was situated beside it, along with several ordinary office supplies. I could also see that CDs of my favorite bands were placed in the bookshelves on closer inspection. On the walls was painted a Japanese quote that I was eager to learn.

My eyes had grown abnormally large and my mouth had dropped. I hadn't noticed earlier, but Levi had let go of my wrist and placed my suitcase on a little red reading chair that was accompanied by a little black ottoman and table. There was a reading light and fake potted plant situated on the table.

I turned to Levi with wonder, awe, and gratefulness in my eyes. I had no doubt in my mind that he was the one responsible for my room. He was looking at me for any sign that I either liked or disliked the room. I grinned widely and enveloped him in a massive hug, ignoring the slight flare of pain in my sides.

"Thank you," I whispered in his ear. "I love the room."

Levi gave a little sigh and answered,

"Good, I was afraid I got your interests wrong."

I let him go and looked him in the eyes.

"I knew it! You are the person who did my room. I guess it was kind of obvious because we talked about both of our interests at school."

He looked away shyly and said,

"Yeah, I did. I had to work fast when you were in the hospital so you could have a room."

I smiled brightly and gave him another hug.

"Then thank you very much, Levi. I absolutely adore the room."

I quickly let go this time so that he couldn't feel my racing heart at my bold actions. I turned to the room to hide the slight pink coating my cheeks and went around inspecting everything at closer scrutiny.

I've blushed more then I ever have in my whole life then when I met Levi. Why do I have to blush so much? Yeesh.

Levi cleared his throat to get my attention and said,

"Well, I'll let you unpack. I'll come up when dinner is ready. Until then, I'll see you later. If you need anything I'll either be in my room or the kitchen. My room is located on the fifth floor, third door on the right when you exit the turret's entrance. It's painted black, so you can't miss it."

I turned to face him fully with a smile on my face and replied,

"Okay, Levi."

He left with a nod of his head and closed the door at the top of the staircase to my room.

I set to work unpacking my things. I placed all of my clothes in the drawers and opened the doors to the wardrobe to find a small flat screen TV. I saw a red bean bag chair placed next to the wardrobe that I assumed to be my TV chair.

After going through the rest of the room, looking at all of the books and music options I now had at my disposal, and getting used to the surroundings, I went downstairs to go see Levi and ask what was on the menu tonight since I forgot to ask when he was in my room.

I walked down the corridor and located the said black door that led to his room. I knocked on the door, but I didn't hear a response, so I knocked again to make sure that I just hadn't heard the response the first time. Still, I got nothing. I opened the door to find the lights were on, so I stepped inside. There was a little hallway that led to the actual room.

Following the dark gray walls, I walked to the end of it.

I called, "Hello? Levi? Are you in here?"

Still not hearing anything, I walked into the room. It was furnished with black furniture, like my room, with a full bed in the center of the left wall and a nightstand on either side. The bedding was navy blue, with two pillows in black pillow cases like mine. A desk was placed directly in front of me on the wall and a navy blue carpet was placed on the floor. A leather couch faced a flat screen TV on the wall next to me. There were no decorations besides a fake potted plant next to the desk and a hope chest placed in front of the bed. On the desk was a reading light and the average office supplies and another MacBook. A few pictures hung above Levi's bed. Stepping closer, I saw a younger Levi, Isabel, and Farlan playing together next to a beautiful pond. They were splashing each other with the water and laughing. Another showed Farlan and Isabel baking cookies while Levi looked disgusted at the mess. Next to that was a picture of the entire family, all stoic faces. Placed above was a picture of Levi with a small dog at his side. I stepped away and noticed the room had not a single speck of dirt or dust anywhere. I quietly chuckled to myself at this discovery.

What a clean freak, I thought still giggling a bit.

Suddenly, a door on the right wall opened and out stepped the person of interest wearing jeans and a towel around his neck.

He didn't seem to notice me until I started stammering and turned around as quickly as I could manage without falling on my face.

"I am s-so sorry! I knocked and called out b-but I received no r-response so I a-assumed you weren't h-here but I was curious so I decided to have a look a-around."


	8. The First Night

Levi's P.O.V.

I just stepped out of the shower, putting on the usual jeans and not bothering with a shirt.

Oh well.

I placed the towel around my neck and walked out. I didn't notice anything different in my room, but then I heard a voice, and they were stammering. I turned my head to see Eren turn around so quickly I'm surprised she didn't fall on her face.

"I am s-sorry! I k-knocked and called out b-but I received no response so I a-assumed you weren't h-here but I was c-curious so I decided to look a-around."

It just now occurred to me why Eren was stammering: I wasn't wearing a shirt. Not saying anything, I walked back into my bathroom and into my walk-in closet, grabbing a random shirt off a hangar. I pulled the towel off and hung it up on the towel rack right outside the closet and slid the shirt on. I walked back out to find Eren fidgeting and shuffling around on her feet uneasily.

I decided to tease her because this was just too good an opportunity to miss.

"I hope you got a good luck, because I doubt you'll see it again."

She immediately lost all sign of embarrassment and nervousness. She swirled around and came marching up to my face.

"Oh, what makes you say that?" She said with a devious smirk on her face.

I fixed her with a bored expression and replied smoothly,

"You'd have to wrestle it off of me, and I don't think you could manage that," I finished with a raised eyebrow, as if daring her to try.

She hummed and winked.

"You're probably right." And with that, she turned around and headed for the door.

Well, that was weird. At least she won't be awkward around me now.

"Oi, brat, why were you looking for me for anyway?"

She merely called over her shoulder,

"Not a brat!"

Tch, that girl confuses me sometimes. She didn't complain about her arm or ribs when Isabel tackled her, or when she hugged me. I guess it's because she's used to it, maybe? But that's upsetting, that she's used to it...

The thoughts running through my head drew me into a somber mood and I let a quiet sigh escape my mouth.

"Hey, Levi, what's for dinner?" Eren called from the doorway. It appeared she was also waiting for me.

"I was going to make Ravioli."

She let out a celebratory "Whoop!" after her face lit up.

I waited for her to catch on.

Then she did.

"Wait."

She rushed back into the room and cried,

"You can cook?"

"Tch, why wouldn't I cook?"

She shook her head and threw her hands into the air.

"Levi Ackerman, the eighth wonder of the world."

"Alright, alright, c'mon, let's go get dinner started."

She shrugged and skipped merrily out the door again.

Walking down the over excessive flights of stairs, I guided Eren to the kitchen. It had black cabinets that you could press the corner of to open them. There also was a double-sink with a faucet that you tapped to make the water flow. There was also a kitchen island, a gas stove with an air vent above, and off to the side was a microwave and toaster built into the wall. All appliances were black and the counter-tops were black granite. The walls had been painted gray-white and there was a window over the sink that overlooked the backyard. Magnets hung on the wall held a variety of knives along with a couple other utensils. The dishwasher was located on the right side of the kitchen. All appliances, utensils, and cookbooks were as modern as you could buy them. The pantry was catty cornered off to the right and was as organized as I could make it. You would find that the cabinets and drawers proved to be the same. Overhead lights dominated the center of the ceiling. Eren took all of this in with a reserved look on her face.

"Do the maids make the house so pristine or was that you?"

I narrowed my eyes and asked,

"How do you know that I like to clean?"

"A couple of reasons, the first being you just told me," which I "Tch"ed at. "The second being that you smell like Earl Grey Tea and cleaning supplies." I am not even going to ask her how she knows what I smell like. "Thirdly, your room smelled a lot like cleaning supplies as well, and so did mine, but the rest of the house smells of lavender. You had said you did my room so I put two and two together and came up with a rather unhealthy cleaning obsession."

I gazed at her with new-found respect.

"Who died and made you Sherlock Holmes?"

Eren smiled and sat herself on one of the bar-stools surrounding the island.

"Are you going to show me your mastery of the kitchen or are you just going to call a chef?"

"Tch, fine. Sit back and watch carefully, because I will not tolerate anyone in the house to cook in the kitchen if they cannot cook or are just too messy."

I forgot the best part of the kitchen: the refrigerator. It was a duel-doored masterpiece with two bottom shelves that open and close silently. Once opened, there were several layers to the fridge that helped satisfy my OCD. Drawer after drawer, space everywhere. I absolutely loved it. I pulled out the ravioli and the chicken alfredo sauce and shut the fridge. I laid the ingredients on the counter and went over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a sauce pan and a medium-sized pot with both of their lids. I walked over to the sink with the pot in hand and began to run the tap to fill it up. I then walked over, grabbing the sauce pan on my way to the stove, where I placed the pan on the front-left burner and typed in the correct temperature. I opened the alfredo sauce and slowly poured it in so not to make it splatter. Walking back to the sink, I turned the faucet off and placed the now heavy pot onto the front-right burner and turned the heat on for it as well. Needing a side dish, I walked over to the fridge and pulled out the garlic bread, which I proceeded to place on a tray and put in the toaster oven. Now all I have to do is sit back and wait for everything to cook. I walked over to the island and sat myself down on one of the bar-stools.

Eren had a peaceful look on her face the entire time I was cooking. Now, she turned to me and started up a conversation.

"I haven't had someone cook for me since my mother died. It's brings back good memories."

I smiled softly, a smile reserved only for her I would learn, and replied,

"I have always had a maid cook for me, so I learned how to cook because I wanted Farlan and Izzy to know how it feels to have someone pour their soul into the meal they cook for you."

Eren caught my gaze and asked,

"Would you mind if I cooked for you sometime? I think it's time for you to know the feeling of a home-cooked meal made with care. I can't stomach the thought that I could do this small thing for you but not do it."

Her little speech caught me off guard, because no one had offered to cook for me before just because they wanted to. So it took a second for me to respond to her kind gesture.

"S-sure, I would love to have you cook for me."

Eren smiled warmly at me.

Just when we had started to feel comfortable, the timer I had set went off, signaling that it was time to finish up.

Sighing, I walked to the stove and turned the sauce pan's burner off, and grabbed the ravioli bag from the counter and dumped it into the boiling pot on the right. I made sure not to get caught in it's hot fury. Then I walked over to the toaster oven and turned the dial down until it was off, pulling a pair of kitchen mitts on to pull the tray of garlic bread out. Setting it down on the counter to cool, I walked over to the cupboard and pulled out four plates, taking my mitts off on the journey there.

Turning to Eren, I asked,

"Could you get into that drawer behind you and get four sets of forks and knives? And then go into the drawer on it's left and pull out four cloth napkins?"

She smiled and replied cheerily with a salute,

"Sure thing, Heichou!"

Heichou? Again, really? Feh, whatever. Women are strange creatures, especially at certain times of the month.

I shook my head, giving up on trying to figure out the mysteries of women, and turned back to the stove and turned the remaining burner off, seeing as the ravioli was now cooked. I turned and leaned against the counter, watching Eren as she walked to the entrance of the dining room to set the table. After placing the silverware and napkins down on the already present table mats, she walked back into the kitchen.

Shaking myself out of my reverie, I grabbed the plates and set them on the table mats too, with Eren following behind with the sauce pan and it's place mat, not sure how she found that last item. I walked back and grabbed a strainer, emptying the ravioli and boiling water into it over the sink. Then I placed the ravioli back into the pot and placed it on it's table mat. We laid out ceramic bowls beside the plates as well. The garlic bread came after that, which we had placed in a pile in a basket with linen.

Satisfied with everything, I moved myself to the bottom of the stairs, cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted,

"Dinner's ready! Come and get it, brats!"

Eren chuckled from behind me, and we started hearing the tell-tale "thump, thump, thump" of stomping teenagers parading down the halls and stairs.

"We're coming!" a high-pitched voice yelled back, which could only be Isabel. Two seconds later she was jumping down the last steps and raced into Eren's arms, much to my surprise.

"Eren! Are you staying?! I'm so happy!"

Eren chuckled again and grinned.

"Isabel! I thought we already established that I was staying, you silly girl," she said in a very affectionate manner, as if she already adopted the role of older loving sister.

Isabel giggled and then ran into my own arms with the speed of a single blink.

"Levi-aniki! What's for dinner?"

"Tch, cow brains."

Isabel looked very shocked and disturbed by this news.

"What?! Eren, why did you let him cook that?"

Eren took on a face of mock shock.

"What? Me? Never. That's why I made ravioli and garlic bread with alfredo sauce instead." She leaned in and whispered loud enough so that I could hear, obviously on purpose. "I didn't trust his cow brains either, so I threw them out."

This set Isabel into another round of giggles.

"Tch, alright brats, c'mon. I'm hungry."

Farlan joined us as I finished my sentence. Isabel squealed, clearly excited at the prospect of food, and ran ahead to the dining room, leaving us in her dust.

Eren's P.O.V.

Dinner was fabulous. I'm not going to lie. Levi was a master culinary, a wizard in the kitchen. I wasn't expecting so much flavor, but oh my gosh, I don't know how he did it. All he did was boil the ravioli, heat up the alfredo sauce, and toast the garlic bread. That's it, I'm thoroughly convinced now: Levi Ackerman was a fairy.

Isabel dominated the conversation, talking to me to get to know me more; Farlan interjected with his own questions at times and Levi watched us, amusement glinting in his eyes.

Isabel and Farlan retreated back to their rooms after dinner, claiming that they still had homework left, but I suspected an ulterior motive. That left Levi and me to clean up.

Levi was super strict with cleaning, but I enjoyed his company. He really wasn't so cold as he wants you to think. He's a warm, gentle, and very caring person. But I would be killed on the spot for saying so. So I was left to speculate on my own.

Ten o' clock rolled around, which signaled my bedtime. Saying goodnight to Levi, I headed up to my tower room. I changed into my PJs, humming to myself the lullaby my mother used to sing to me when I was a restless child refusing to be sentenced to a 12-hour rest period. It always worked though. I climbed into my loft bed and pulled the covers around me. I fell asleep knowing that when I eventually woke up, I would be safe


	9. The Voice of an Angel

Levi's P.O.V.

I woke up, and immediately regretted it.

It was 2:15 in the friggin' morning. Stupid insomnia. Go back to the fiery pits from whence you came. No one likes you.

Groaning, I pulled the blankets around me tighter and ducked underneath them, trying to grab a hold of the last fleeting traces of deep sleep.

After ten minutes of nada, I sighed and rolled out of the luxury of my warm blankets and comfortable mattress. Stretching while simultaneously walking my way to the balcony, I yawned and pushed open the French doors. I walked to the railing and leaned my forearms on it's cold surface. There was a slight wind, and I allowed it to travel over my body, shivering when it became almost unbearable. I had little more then a pair of boxers on. Turning my head to the sunrise just peaking over the treetops surrounding the mansion, I viewed the remarkable colors, as I wondered once again how they could exist. Pastel orange, vibrant hues of pink and red, a dash of purple: all of these and more made the sunrise look quite unearthly. Accompanied by the birds and the singing, the sight before my eyes was absolutely glorious.

Wait, singing?

A voice was floating down from a higher floor. But, I thought, there isn't a higher floor. There's only... Eren's bedroom. Maybe it's the maids? But I immediately discarded that idea. It was way too early in the morning. So, who's singing?

The voice was angelic in nature: lilting, tranquil, relaxing, and positively beautiful. I had to investigate.

Slipping on some basketball shorts I had neatly hung up in my closet, I walked out of my room and headed toward the door leading to the top of the tower. Slowly, I climbed the well-oiled steps and crept up to the door, leaning my ear against said door. The voice had grown louder with each step I took towards the door, so it could only be coming from here. I then heard the lyrics to the song:

Gently weaving through the blackened trees. Bright starlight passing through what was once so beautiful. Waging war has wrought its misery on all of God's creation. Singing and weeping and mourning for what has been lost, praying for its glorious return.

Oh, thou has been lost to me, my fair friends. You once sheltered me from all of life's demands. I ask that you may come back to me once more, and show me thy beauty that I once perceived.

Time has wrought its damage on my once treasured friends. Her boughs of blossoms has long since been lost. Curse those who seek to bring misery to me. Oh, my dear friends, I ask that you come back again. Don't let those who've destroyed you win their vict'ry o'er you.

Her blackened branches then began to take a dark brown, and tiny buds of pink began to form. My friend's have begun their revolution, and have answered my selfish request.

No one can make you bow before them. It is only by your own will that you may find what courage lies in you.

The song was deep, sober, but wonderful. It was a heart-wrenching affair, and the voice had me in silent tears. It was filled with so much raw emotion, I could barely stand it. I could almost feel the heartbreak in me, and the sprouting courage in the last stanza. Quickly, I wiped away the last remaining tears and cautiously opened the door to peek on this angel.

I saw Eren sitting in the middle of the room, a picture frame in hand. Tears were streaming down her face. An open window blew in the morning's cold breath, rifling her hair, and tossing it back into her face. I could imagine that she was freezing, because she was only in a tank top and small shorts. It made me self-conscious of my half-dressed state as well.

So, that must have been Eren.

Anguish, sorrow, and anger were parading around her features, clouding over until there was nothing else. Without thinking, I stepped out of my hiding place and dashed to her side, wrapping my arms around her. I could hear her sharp intake of breath at being discovered, but did nothing to push me away. In fact, she seemed to lean into my touch.

We knelt together on the floor, silent. No words were needed during the exchange. We knew what the other was thinking as if they had said it aloud. I knew then that I had found a true friend. One I would live with for the rest of my life.

After awhile, Eren fell back to sleep, so I carefully pried the picture frame out of her hands to set it back on the shelf. It turned out to be a women, and a beautiful one at that. She had long, chocolate brown hair and a wonderfully caring smile. She looked like Eren, until I realized it was her mother. Smiling softly, I placed the picture on the shelf and whispered to her,

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her. She's in good hands."

I could have sworn the smile grew larger. Anyway, I walked over and picked Eren up behind her shoulders and under her knees. It was an easy task for me because she weighed little to nothing. She had a loft bed, meaning I had to walk up the ladder with Eren in my arms so I could put her back in bed. It was a little difficult, but I managed, minding her arm. Tucking her in, I hesitated, but eventually planted a kiss on her forehead. As if she knew what I'd done, she smiled in her sleep. Purposely not acknowledging the blush that had risen to my face, I climbed down the ladder and walked to her window, closing it, and then exited her room, closing the door as silently as I could manage.

Eren's P.O.V.

I woke up, meaning somewhere I had fallen asleep along the line. But I couldn't remember how... never mind. I remembered. Which meant the one and only blush of mine has made yet another appearance. Ugh, I hate it. Which brings me to my next question on how I even got up here. I'm guessing Shortie did that, but how he managed to do it is a mystery to me. The man has many unseen talents. I had this soft tingling spot on my forehead, but I ignored it. I woke up on forced habit, so I no longer needed an alarm clock to wake me up for school because I had an internal one.

Drowsily, I dragged myself to the ladder, with no small amount of griping and groaning. I clambered down and shuffled over to my wardrobe, slowly tugging it open. I glared at the clothes, as if they were the reason why I had to be up at this unholy hour. I needed a flexible shirt, to help with my cast and hide the bandages around my torso. So I pulled off my red pajama shorts and then single-handedly took my black tank top off. My eyes shifted to a random tank top. Grabbing it and pulling it on, I decided I would just wear a Tennessee Vols. sweatshirt, seeing that it's easy and suits my requirements. Then came on the jeans, and the socks and shoes duo. I looked around, not knowing where I could find a bathroom, when to my complete surprise, I found a door I didn't see when I first walked on. I was starting to suspect my room was actually the Room of Requirement. Walking to it, I tested it to find that it opened noiselessly and triggered motion-sensor lights. In it was a black and gray modern day bathroom. There was a granite counter, colored slate grey, with a single sink and farmhouse faucet, which was silver. The walls were tiled in a speckled black color, and there was a stand-up shower in the far left corner. It was one of those showers that had stone coming up and the rest was glass, complete with a glass door and silver finishing. The silver shower head was nothing special, but it still managed to look cool. The toilet was located beside the bathroom counter, also ash grey. The floor was a dark wood. The mirror above the sink was intricate. Silver, with iron leaves all around its oval face. It was purely elegant, giving the room a peaceful aura. I was immediately awed and in love with the room. I was going to be spending a lot of time in here.

I rushed to my toiletry bag tucked into my wardrobe and ran back to the bathroom. I set all of my things out in an orderly fashion, but I didn't have much, since I couldn't afford make-up, after all.

Smiling to myself, I set to work on my appearance. Going through the daily ritual of brushing my teeth, hair, using deodorant and then flossing, I made my tired self look somewhat natural. I closed the bathroom door behind me and grabbed my backpack off of the desk chair. I then walked to the door and descended to the third floor. On my way to the kitchen, I tested Levi's room for any midgets to find none, so I shrugged and continued the long walk to the kitchen.

Before I even came to the grand staircase, I could smell the heavenly scent of waffles. In my haste to reach the American delicacy, I dropped my bag and skipped a few stairs. I streaked to the kitchen, stampeding in, out of breath. Three pairs of eyes turned to me, surprise and amusement in all. After taking in the people, my eyes shifted to the steaming stack of waffles in the center of the island. My vision tunneled, and I couldn't remember grabbing three of the god food, but they practically teleported into my stomach once I had them. They didn't stand a chance.

There was a stunned silence as I demolished the three innocent waffles. I could have sworn I heard Isabel whisper, "They were so young."

The silence was so thick, you could practically cut it with a knife. Levi's words pierced the silence.

"So, you like waffles?"

It was as if the silence never existed. Isabel started cracking up, and Farlan chuckled. For my part, I think you can guess what I did next. If you guessed blush, you were correct. If you were part of the few who did not guess correctly, I would have to question your intelligence.

I looked to the floor, in hopes it might swallow me up and save me from this embarrassment. To answer Levi's question, I wordlessly nodded my head. He said nothing, but grabbed a plate and placed yet another waffle on it. He walked over to me and offered me the plate. He had a smirk on his face. My blush vanished and I scowled at him, but nevertheless took the plate with gratitude. Levi walked away with a soft chuckle. Farlan then spoke up,

"So what's the story behind the waffles?"

I sat down on an empty bar-stool and explained,

"My mom used to make these for breakfast for every holiday. Whether it be New Years, Valentines Day, St. Patrick's Day, Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and especially my birthday, she always got up extra early just to make me waffles. The memories and the fact it's my favorite breakfast make me giddy whenever I see them."

Everyone was smiling warmly, well except Levi, but he looked like he wanted to. Isabel spoke up.

"That sounds lovely, Eren. I can definitely see why you would react that way."

Nodding, I turned back to my waffles.

They didn't last five seconds.

Levi's P.O.V.

We had debated for a solid ten minutes as to whether or not I approved of Eren going to school. She said she was fine and she didn't want to have any more unnecessary make-up work, but I didn't believe she was truly fine. She flinched whenever she brushed her ribs against anything, so I suspected she had bruised her ribs as well as broke them. I argued this point, but she still insisted she was fine. Farlan sided with me, so we formed the over-protective men group. Isabel sided with Eren, though I suspect only because she didn't want Eren fighting all three of us, and so they formed the defense. So, the debate of 2016 commenced, until Eren said she was going whether I liked it or not. Sighing, I relented, rather unwillingly, but I made one condition: I had to be by her side all day to make sure no unnecessary damage befell her. She waved it off and started walking to the garage, Isabel trailing behind.

I gave Farlan a look that clearly said,

"Women these days, right?"

And he gave a look that said,

"Tell me about it."

"Boys, stop having mental conversations and hurry up!" Eren called over her shoulder.

We both looked at each other incredulously. But it soon turned into pairs of smirks and we chuckled, following behind the exasperating women.

Since my car couldn't fit all four of us and our bags, we decided to use two cars: Eren riding with me and Farlan and Isabel in Farlan's silver Zenvo ST1.

I almost started cracking up when we rolled into the school's parking lot. Everyone was gawking at the flashy cars. I had arrived late yesterday to school, so no one saw me drive in with my car. But now I wasn't late, everyone noticed. What surprised everyone even more was that Eren stepped out of my car. Whispers circulated, and Eren knew it; she had a knack for hearing all rumors and gossip without even trying. She hid behind me a bit, but I ignored everything and everyone, as I usually do. I merely strode right in as if no one besides myself, Eren, Farlan, and Isabel existed. Eren trailed behind me, following me to our lockers, being the locker neighbors we were. Farlan and Isabel went in their own direction, because their lockers were on the other side of the building. Poor them.

Reaching our lockers, I turned to Eren and asked in my usual monotone,

"Why was everyone staring and whispering?"

She turned to me with disbelief in her eyes.

"Are you seriously asking me?"

I "Tch"ed while rolling my eyes.

"No, I was asking the locker. Who else would I be talking to? You know, this locker and I go way back-"

"Alright, Alright! I get it." Eren said, signaling with her hands that she indeed got my message.

"This school isn't rich, it's filled with the city's average citizens. No one is rich, honestly. So, when Monotone King and his crew roll in with their billion dollar cars, they're obviously going to stare. Plus, I have never been seen with someone, let alone the new French rich kid, so what else would you expect people to do? They're probably a lot of rumors circulating that I am some gold digger, and that's probably why I've never dated anyone because no one has that much money." She said that last part a little more to herself. I chose to ignore it.

"Hmm, is that why you were hiding behind me?"

Eren nodded her head, turning away slightly.

"Yeah, I can't believe I didn't even think about how people would react."

I hummed quietly, and turned to open my locker to retrieve my books.

"Well, it's not your fault. Now, get your books or we'll be late to class."

Eren followed my example.

The rest of the day was absolutely boring. We had class, after class, after class. It was never-ending. The only bright spots in my otherwise dull day was eating with Eren, Farlan, and Isabel under the cherry tree and walking Eren to her classes. I also beat the crap out of one of Horseface's goonies, but Eren didn't need to know that.

Just when I thought I would melt into a Levi-puddle of nothing, the final bell rang, and you couldn't get me out of that class fast enough.

Slamming my locker closed after, neatly, throwing my books into it, I speed-walked to find Eren, which wasn't that hard. She was grouped with Farlan and Isabel in front of our cars.

I just jumped into the driver's seat, starting the ignition. No one needed any other message that it was time to get out of this god-forsaken place. Again, Eren jumped in with me and we sped off.


	10. The Cold, Hard Truth and Potato Soup

Eren's P.O.V.

SLAM!

"I detest school! It's filled with mindless brats, and equally mindless adults who don't know how to teach crap! Why do I have to go to that retarded school anyway? We're only relearning everything we learned last year!"

Levi had been ranting the entire time we were in the car, in the garage, and now he was storming the first floor. Dust cowered before his fury. Any stains or specks of dirt ran for their lives. Because when Levi was raging, he was cleaning.

It was positively spotless, as if it could get any more clean. The whole first floor had not a lick of dirt on it, so Levi moved to the staircase, and then the second and third floors, along with the fourth and fifth as well. Though, he left my room alone, which was perfectly fine by me. I didn't need someone cleaning up after me or going through my things. While Levi was doing his thing, I went to the kitchen to make some tea. I had gleaned from Isabel that Earl Grey Tea calms him down, so I made two cups.

I heard the vacuum cleaner shut off, so I took that as my cue to give him his chill pill. I walked up the stairs and started looking around for the clean freak. After ten minutes of searching, I found him next to a supply closet on the fourth floor. He was rearranging all of the Windex and furniture polish bottles and cans.

Silently approaching, I walked up to him and waited for him to acknowledge me. When seven minutes had passed and he was still absorbed in his task, I took the initiative to start up the conversation.

"I've never seen you this worked up before."

I have never seen a man jump out of his pants so high or fast in my entire life either. I would have paid to see it again, it was that priceless. But I kept my face straight to keep up the innocent charade.

He turned to me and glowered, icy daggers shooting from his eyes. It didn't effect me though, I just stood there impervious to his efforts to make me cower.

"Where, the devil, did you come from?"

"What ever do you mean?" I asked in my most innocent tone of voice. "I've been here for the past seven minutes. I'm amazed you never noticed."

"Tch, what do you want?" He asked in an annoyed voice.

I held up the two amazingly still hot mugs of tea by way of an answer.

His eyes widened slightly.

"You made those...?"

I desperately wanted to make a sarcastic come back, but I held my tongue.

"Yup!" I replied cheerfully. "Now, let's go sit down and you can calm down from your little reign of terror."

He rolled his eyes, but followed me anyway.

Down polished floors, staircases, and hallways we went, until we arrived at his door. Levi casually walked in, and after a moment of hesitation, I followed him in. We sat in different parts of his room: Levi in his desk chair and me on the bed. We sat there in companionable silence, just drinking our tea when I decided to strike up a conversation.

"So, Levi, why is Earl Grey Tea your chill pill?"

Said male looked over at me over the rim of his mug, which he was holding weirdly. He was holding the rim with his fingertips and drank from the gap between his thumb and forefinger. It was as if he was afraid of breaking the handle.

"I don't know. It just has a relaxing aura to it, and the flavor is delicate. With just the right amount of honey, it's perfect. It calms me down immediately, and I get a little drowsy, which helps with the insomnia when I can't sleep."

I tilted my head and looked at him curiously.

"You have insomnia?"

He nodded his head.

I hummed.

"Hmm, that explains the dark circles under your eyes. I was wondering, and I guessed as much. But, you never know, so I asked."

"Yeah, you never know."

That's weird, why did he say it in such a melancholy way?

I studied his face. For the most part, it was the same as usual, emotionless. But I saw something in his eyes: a deep sadness, and I didn't know its origin.

"Levi?"

He looked up a little too quickly.

"What?"

I set my cup down on the nightstand carefully and leaned forward.

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean? Nothing's wrong."

I gave him "the look" that said, "Really? You wanna play that game?"

He looked down a little guiltily and set his cup down on the desk. When he didn't say anything and didn't look up, I walked over and knelt down in front of him, taking his head in my hands, lifting his face so that he was looking into my eyes. Levi still pursued to avert his eyes from mine.

"Levi, look at me."

He reluctantly complied.

"Tell me what's wrong."

He sighed.

"How do you always know when something is bothering me?"

I just smiled at him.

When he remained silent, I was about to get a little frustrated, but he chose that moment to speak.

"My parents weren't the ones to tell me they had adopted Izzy and Farlan for good reviews. I had trusted my parents, I didn't question the decision. But then I heard them talking one night, about how their reviews and publicity was 'soaring through the roof'." At this he used his hands to make quotation marks in the air. "I was so angry at them, and completely avoided them. They sent the maids to see if they could coax anything out of me because they certainly couldn't do it. But I never told anyone that I knew. I started to honestly question my parents. I had found out a few things. Both were unfaithful to each other, and they knew it. Both blackmailed people. And both have lackeys that they send to do their dirty work, and that's just getting started."

He looked down again, very tense.

"This house, everything and everyone in it, are all lies. Lies built on an empire of tyranny. They wear masks of friendliness, but they can easily be shattered. I don't like my parents, I don't trust them, and I need you to stay as far away from them as possible. I know I invited you to stay here, but promise you won't initiate anything with them. Please"

He had such a desperate face, pleading with his eyes for me to make a promise. Of course, I had no problem making it.

"I promise, Levi."

You could visibly see the tension in his figure dissipate. He slumped his shoulders, hanging his head in the process. I drew my hands away from his face and instead wrapped them around his small figure. I had known that he had done this for me a few times now, so now it was my turn. I felt him tense up, but he soon realized what I was doing and relaxed into my embrace.

"You know, it's okay to let your emotions out once in a while. If you need someone to yell at, talk to, cry to, or just in general be there and sit with you in silence, you can always, always, come to me. I get that you don't want to show Isabel and Farlan your tears, but I'm your friend, and I certainly won't judge you. You've been there for me these past few weeks, and now it's my turn. I'm always here."

When I didn't hear a response, I pulled back enough to look him in the face. And that's when I saw them. Tiny little streams of tears were rolling down his face. It broke my heart, and I moved to hug him harder. I started to feel his tears drop onto my shoulder, and it made me want to cry as well. The Monotone King was actually crying, and he trusted me enough to do so in front of me.

We stayed in this position for a while. Levi silently crying, and me on my knees, comforting him. If we hadn't been best friends, we certainly were now. Levi was the only person to do the things he has for me. Ever. If I was offered the world or Levi, I'd take Levi in a heartbeat. It would break my heart if he pushed me away.

Levi stirred, and I took that as a sign to go get some tissues. I entered the bathroom, rolled out a couple pieces of toilet paper, and walked back to Levi. I wiped at his face softly, cleaning up the tears and runny nose, which surprisingly didn't bother me. When I was satisfied with my work, I leaned up, kissed his forehead, and whispered,

"Everything is going to be okay, I promise. I won't let anything or anyone take you away, hurt you, or make you even the slightest bit upset. If something does occur, I'll be the first to take care of it and be there for you. Because you've done the same for me, even when you barely knew me."

Levi looked up into my eyes, and I smiled the warmest smile I had ever conjured up since my mother's untimely death.

So softly, I could barely make it out, he said,

"Thank you, Eren."

Still smiling, I nodded my head.

"Here, let me get you a cold rag to try to get rid of the puffy eyes."

And with that, I walked back into the bathroom and grabbed a wash cloth out of the linen closet and rinsed it under the faucet with cold water. Again, I walked back and got on my knees.

"Close your eyes for a moment, this should help with the redness and puffiness. Also, tilt your head back just a bit."

Doing as asked, he closed his eyes, and I set to work with the moist towel. I didn't stop until all of the earlier signs of crying were nonexistent. I placed the towel on a rack next to the sink. Levi was still in the same slumped position, so I took his hands in my own and tugged a little. Levi looked up inquisitive as to what I wanted. I tugged again, and he got the message that I wanted him to follow me. None too enthusiastically, he complied, and I kept a hold of one hand as I dragged him out of his room, down the several flights of stairs, and into the kitchen. I made him sit on the bar stool while I grabbed the necessary ingredients fort he cure to Levi's momentary slump. I grabbed a pot, potatoes, bacon, chicken broth, shredded cheese, and a few other ingredients. I won't bore you with the details, but I made Levi a soup that my mother used to make me when I was upset.

Levi had went off to La-La Land, so I softly snapped my fingers in his ear. He flinched from the sudden noise, but recognized I was done with whatever I was doing. I placed the bowl of potato soup in front of him.

"Eat up, it'll make you feel better in no time."

"You made this?" He asked in his usual monotone voice.

Well, look who's back.

"Of course. But you were too busy in La-La Land to notice me cooking," I said with a smirk.

He playfully glared at me, and I gave him a spoon.

Dipping his spoon in and getting a decent sized scoop, he took a tentative bite, then another, and then another, until there wasn't a speck left. He held the bowl up with the most adorable face.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Would you like some more, Levi?"

He nodded his head.

Still grinning, I scooped out some more, also making myself a bowl. Levi dug greedily into his soup, while I leisurely ate mine. He went through the entire pot, barely pausing, before he was satisfied.

"That was honestly the best thing I've ever eaten."

"Ha! I couldn't tell. I had three reasons to making potato soup: one being that it's delicious, two because my mom made it for me whenever I was upset, and three because it was the first meal we shared together."

"That was unexpectedly deep."

I chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Levi stood up and took our bowls to the sink, and surprisingly didn't wash them.

By this time, it was 7:00 p.m. Isabel and Farlan were in their rooms. I couldn't believe how long it had been since I had met everyone. I had met Levi a few weeks ago, but I had known Isabel and Farlan for a couple days, but I still felt like I was home.

I was snapped out of my reverie when Levi said,

"Let's play Uno Attack."

I visibly brightened at the splendid idea.

"Could Isabel and Farlan play, if they want?"

"Of course."

I squealed in delight, and raced to said people's rooms, banging on their doors. shouting,

"Isabel! Farlan! Let's play Uno Attack!"


	11. The Game Commences

Levi's P.O.V.

Eren had brought so much life into my own in such a short amount of time, it was almost impossible, and it left me breathless. I've been told several times that I don't look so gloomy or menacing, and I'm much more talkative, or rather more willing to be.

Now, I had instigated a card game. A card game. Can you believe it? What was going through my head that would make me ask for something so uncharacteristic of me?

Probably, "What would make Eren happy?"

Yeesh, I'm losing my crown.

Back to the game: Isabel had just pressed the "dispense card" button, and about seven cards spat themselves out at her. She screamed, making everyone laugh heartily at her predicament. It had become readily apparent that Eren was a natural at Uno Attack, for a complete beginner. She had won two of four rounds so far, and was about to win the fifth and final round, which would make her the overall winner. I came in a close second, with two games won as well, then Farlan, who hadn't won anything, and of course poor Izzy was fourth, who also hadn't won anything. Isabel slumped in her seat, clearly depressed about the amount of cards piling up in her hand. She was never any good at cards, I suppose. Though, put her in a game of Sorry and you won't ever win. Ever. Farlan, as usual, was secretly trying to help her out, while looking as calm as possible. And Eren, well, Eren was having a ball of a time with her beginner's luck.

"Mwuahaha! Uno!"

"Again?!"

"Ha ha ha! Bow before me! The ruler of Uno Attack! I dare anyone to challenge me!"

"Hmm, Uno."

Eren snapped her head to the source of the voice who had "dared challenge her", which of course was me. Who else?

She narrowed her eyes.

"You... I should have known."

"You really should have."

Farlan put a wild card down.

"Blue."

Oh, Farlan, you know what card I have, don't you?

I gave Farlan a look, to which he winked at.

Knew it.

My card was a blue nine. But how Farlan figured that out, I don't know.

I reached over and popped the button, which spat nothing. No one, besides Farlan, knew that I had a blue nine. Which was why I could pull a stunt like that.

"Uno."

Farlan gave me an incredulous look that said,

"I just gave you a way to break Eren's winning streak, and you thank me by lying and letting her win?!"

In return, I winked at him.

Like you, Farlan, I have someone I want to help.

Eren was ecstatic.

"I win! I win! Yes~!"

Turns out she had a blue three.

Isabel groaned, Farlan face-palmed, and I smirked, watching Eren jump up and down in delight. However, I had forgotten what deal we had made in the beginning, which was now ringing through my ears.

~Flashback~

"OK! Let's make a deal!"

Everyone turned to Isabel.

"Whoever has the majority of wins by the fifth round gets to tell second place to do something, and they can't refuse. Second tells third, and third tells fourth. But fourth gets nothing. Deal?"

Everybody was in for the little bit of added excitement the deal would bring, so we all agreed.

~End of Flashback~

I groaned, not knowing what Eren would make me do.

Ugh, she's going to make me touch something dirty, isn't she?

"Levi~," Eren said in a sing-song voice.

Uh-oh.

Isabel and Farlan turned to Eren, very much interested in what monstrosity Eren had in store for me.

"I am going to make you..." She purposefully drew out the suspense, knowing full well I was a little anxious.

"Levi, you may not clean anything but your room for a whole week."

Gasps emanated from my siblings, knowing full well what cleaning mean to me. I myself was shocked.

How could she do this to me?

With an evil laugh, Eren grinned at me maliciously.

"Tch, brat."

She grinned wider, which was now starting to look creepy.

"I did tell you I would make you pay, didn't I?"

I suddenly remembered

Oh c'mon! How did she remember that?

"Karma is such a butt, huh?"

"Tch."

I can't believe she remembered that.

"Your turn, Levi!"

Sighing, I turned to Farlan and said,

"Farlan, you can't fix your hair for a week. You have to suffer like the rest of us mortal men."

He turned to me with an indignant expression.

"Well, not all of us have naturally perfect hair like you, Levi!"

I gave him a look that clearly said, "Really?"

Isabel giggled, but Farlan needed an outlet to release his new-found stress, and poor Izzy had just made herself a target.

"Izzy, you can't wear make-up for a week."

"What?! No, Farlan, don't do this to me, please!"

Eren was smiling with amusement at the proceedings that the toll of the deal was making, since she was immune to it. But I was glad, really. I didn't think I could think of anything to make her do. She was good at cooking, cleaning, being sociable, being shy and quiet, she didn't wear make-up or take long in the bathroom as far as I can tell since she had her own. She studied, listened, and was actively engaged in the lives of the people she cared about. She was, as Farlan put it, an angel.

Apparently, I was looking at her too long.

"Levi, why are you staring at Eren?"

Hurriedly, I looked away, instead looking at the red-headed, pig-tailed girl who had made it her mission to exploit me.

"I wasn't staring. I was merely thinking and Eren happened to be the thing I was looking at while doing so."

Isabel made a skeptical grunt. She obviously didn't believe me, and by the looks of it Farlan didn't either.

Eren, for her part, remained silent, just watching the proceedings as a bystander.

"You two honestly would make a cute couple. I don't know why you can't see that."

Everyone whirled around to stare shocked at Farlan, who tried to look as innocent as possible to avoid unnecessary anger.

"What? Wait, did I say that out loud?"

"What do you think, brat?"

"That I'm not a brat."

"That's my line!"

Everyone laughed at Eren's weird outburst.

"That really had nothing to do with the conversation whatsoever."

"So?"

"I don't have a good comeback for that just yet."

"Who said you needed one?"

"You're being unreasonably argumentative."

"Sorry..."

Farlan and Isabel were watching the exchange like a tennis match: back and forth, back and forth. It was kind of funny to watch them.

"What time is it?"

I slid my phone out of my pocket and pressed the home button.

"9:30, so bedtime. We have school tomorrow."

"Aww! But I like this! We were having fun."

"Which we can pick up tomorrow. Now chop, chop!"

"Blast the infernal bedtime!"

I raised my eyebrows.

How did she know what infernal meant? And how did she hear it?

"I think she got it from me," Eren admitted.

I turned to her with a questioning look on my face.

"You said that out loud."

"Oh."

"You should get some sleep, Levi. As you said, we have school tomorrow and we don't need Grouch King to make an appearance. Monotone King is plenty to handle."

"Tch, whatever."

"Night, Levi!" Eren gave me a hug. I smiled and hugged back a little bit. She then skipped off to her little bedroom, leaving me to follow suit.

Sighing, I pushed myself out of the chair. I dragged my tired feet up countless stairs and down hallways in this blasted mansion.

Why does it have to be so big?

After a few minutes, I welcomed the sight of my sanctuary and shuffled inside, closing the door behind me. Some more shuffling brought me to my closet, to which I tossed my dirty clothes I had on into my laundry hamper and pulled on a pair of clean boxers from a nearby drawer. I threw myself onto my bed, not bothering to brush my teeth. Or anything, really. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I surprisingly fell asleep right away. But then again, it was an exhausting day. I didn't wake up once the entire night.

Eren's P.O.V.

It had been three weeks since I first came here to Levi's place. It had been nothing but a dream the entire time. I absolutely adored Isabel, and Farlan acted as the older brother I never had. What I didn't know was the name to this unidentified feeling I had whenever I was around Levi. And it appeared only when I was around him. It was frustrating, I would always avert my eyes if I ended up staring into his gorgeous eyes too long.

Wait, gorgeous? Where did that come from? Sure, they were beautiful, and dreamy... I've gone stark raving mad.

I scrunched up my face and ran my hands through my hair, shaking my head vigorously, earning weird glances from my classmates. I had made a few friends in my time here, probably because of Levi. Armin, of course, was one of them, along with the silent boy behind me that looked startlingly like Levi whose name is Mikasa. They both were pretty protective of me. Though, I didn't mind one bit. Then there was Connie and his potato-loving girlfriend Sasha. Next came Marco, or Freckled Jesus. Reinier, Annie, and Bertholdt joined our odd bunch a week later. Horseface was friends with Marco, so he reluctantly joined the group, much to my dismay. He earned nothing but icy looks from Levi, Armin, and Mikasa. But he was too scared to do anything in fear of Levi's retribution, and now even more because of what Mikasa might do. Ymir and his girlfriend Historia joined us as well. Then came Levi's friends Hanji and Erwin. As soon as Hanji saw me, she squealed and jumped onto me. It was a good thing I stayed on my feet because I would have fallen flat on my face. These past weeks have been the closet thing to heaven I've ever had since my mother's murder. I once burst into tears of happiness one time, which made everyone bewildered. But I told them they were happy tears. I had told them my past, at one point, and I was so sure that they were going to leave as soon as they heard, but they all came up and hugged me instead, which made me cry, so thankful that they didn't leave. Levi had held my hand the entire time through that ordeal, which I was extremely grateful for, even though my heart wouldn't slow down. I told Armin and Mikasa because I needed a second opinion. They looked at each other knowingly and then back at me.

"You want to tell her?"

"Nah, you should."

"Okay then."

Armin turned to me.

"Eren, do you want the blunt truth?"

"Yes," I said, not wanting to delay his answer any more.

"You're in love."

Well, that WAS blunt.

My expression seemed to amuse them, because they cracked up immediately.

"Oh, Eren! You should see your face! It's priceless, ha ha ha!"

All I could do was blink, not even bothering to get angry at their reaction.

"You're joking, right?"

"Oh no! I'm perfectly serious. You're definitely in love with Levi."

I blinked again.

"How?"

They gave me a weird look. Mikasa said,

"What do you mean, 'How?'. There's no accurate explanation. I'm not surprised though. When you fall in love, you can't help it. It just happens, whether you want to or not. That's what has happened to you, Eren. You've fallen in love, whether you planned to or not."

It was my turn to give him a look.

"Since when did you become the 'love expert'?"

Armin giggled and Mikasa rolled his eyes.

What they didn't know was that another trio was having an identical conversation.

Levi's P.O.V.

I had just finished stating the symptoms that I got whenever I was around Eren to Hanji and Erwin. I wasn't sure why I went to them, though. Probably because I definitely couldn't go to Eren or Isabel and Farlan. Lord knows the teasing I would receive.

"It's obvious, Levi! You're in love with Eren."

I almost fell out of my chair. Almost. But it was close.

"What, Four-Eyes?"

"You heard me! Tell him, Erwin! He's in love!"

Eyebrows nodded his head in agreement.

"Monotone King has fallen in love."

"You're kidding," I said in a last-ditch effort to see what kind of prank they were pulling.

"Nope! We're dead serious."

I hung my head in my hands.

Well this complicates things.

"It sure does!"

I really need to stop thinking out loud.

"Wait, since when did you call me Monotone King?"

"It's cute! Eren's good with nicknames. She practically named everyone. Except me, you called me Four-Eyes first and everyone followed suit."

"Ugh, whatever. Just don't tell anyone. I want to be the one to tell if I think she needs to know."

"Okie-dokie, artichoke."

"And don't call me that."

"Darn it, party-pooper."

Eren's P.O.V.

I didn't know what to do. I finally put a name on that feeling, but it only brought me more questions. Like, where do I go from here? I have no idea, don't ask me. I guess I'll play it cool for now. I'll tell him when I think the time is right, I suppose. Seems like the most logical choice.

I was currently working on homework, doing some thinking on the side. Just kidding, that was all I was doing. I completely ditched my homework for it.

I wonder how I'll get to work, or if I need to in the first place. I should ask... Isabel. Yeah... I'm losing it. Oh well.

I was so deep in thought that I didn't hear the knock on my door, or the footsteps coming closer. Not until a voice said,

"Those are some nasty scars. How did you get them?"

My heart leapt out of my chest, and I spun around so quickly I fell out of my chair. I thankfully landed on my good arm. My other was still in a cast, though my ribs were good now and all bruises, black eyes, and anything else were completely gone.

"Oh geez, I didn't mean to scare you."

I put my hand on my chest in an effort to still my beating heart, and noted that I was in a tank top.

"Is this why you always cover up? The scars?"

I looked up to see Levi, a hand extended to help me up, but a worried and sad look on his face.

If it were any other person, I might have yelled at them for being so rude and looking at my scars, but I knew Levi meant no harm and I didn't see why he shouldn't know.

I smiled weakly up at him, in an attempt to placate his worries.

"Yeah, they're from Grisha. They're all over my upper body and a few are on my legs. I only work to cover up the top ones because they aren't as easy to explain as my legs."

Levi dropped his hand, in favor for getting on a knee. He grabbed my hands and stood, so that I could do the same.

"Thanks," I said in response to his actions.

He only nodded his head, before pulling me into a hug, startling me.

"I'm not the only one that needs to show my feelings. If you need to talk, I'm here for you, just like you're here for me."

Tears spilled over, splashing down on Levi's shoulders. I didn't know how badly I felt until he said those things. I put my hands on his chest and just let out all of my bottled up emotions.

How did I get so lucky? Thank you God, so much.

I don't know how one person could bring out so many pure emotions from me. Suddenly, I was very happy I loved Levi. Because he absolutely deserved to be loved, and I wanted to be the one who did that for him.

Levi had left a few minutes later. I was laying on my bed, my homework completely and utterly forgotten. I didn't care though. I was too busy thinking about Levi. At some point, Isabel brought me some food when I didn't come down for dinner. I silently made a mental note to thank her later. The food was delicious, and no doubt was made by Levi again, which brought a smile to my face. He always managed to brighten my day, no matter how down in the dumps I was.

At some point in my train of thought I fell asleep, leading me into peaceful dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry! It gets so melancholy so fast! But it's for relationship building, so don't feel too bad, okay? I love you guys!


	12. The Party

Eren's P.O.V.

I was lounging in the living room with my feet swung over the side of the sofa and had my head resting against the other side. I was reading a new book that I had checked out from the library, and was totally engrossed in it. So I didn't hear or see Isabel approach me. Nor was I prepared for the screaming question blasted into my ears.

"Hey, Eren, do you want to go to a party?! It's supposed to be really cool!"

I nearly fell off the couch in shock. Clutching my chest, I felt my heart beating rapidly. I turned to Isabel with an incredulous look and said rather stupidly,

"Huh?"

Isabel explained that she had been given permission, for the first time ever, to go to one party by Farlan and Levi. Miraculously. So she decided she would go to the most memorable one because she knew this would be the first and last time she'd be able to go. For obvious reasons.

"Um, not really, Izzy. I'm sorry." I really didn't want to be around drunk idiots or have people constantly invade my personal space.

Isabel pouted and made puppy eyes at me.

"Please!" She said, almost to the point of yelling.

"No. And put those puppy eyes away! Don't test me!"

Apparently a simple "no" wasn't going to cut it, as I would soon find out. Because for the next week, that's all she would talk about.

"Levi-aniki! Eren said she won't go! Please tell her to go!"

"Farlan! Help me! Eren refuses to go to the party with me!"

Of course, they sided with me. They didn't want to go, and they weren't about to abandon me in my time of need.

So since this tactic clearly wasn't working, Isabel moved to guilt trip.

"Eren, what if I get kidnapped? Then it would be your fault because you weren't there to save me!"

I didn't blame Isabel for the gut-wrenching sadness that enveloped me with her words. She had no idea about my past. So I let it slide.

"What if I accidentally drink some alcohol? Then I'll get drunk, and I'll drive home like that and maybe die! Or even worse, kill someone else along with me!"

I wasn't about to fall for this. Though, it was getting on my nerves. Again, she moved to yet another tactic: annoy me to death until I cede my stubbornness.

"Eren."

"Eren."

"Go to the party."

"Eren."

"Eren!"

"Please go to the party."

I had it up to here, so I locked myself in my room and hid in the bathroom with my music blasting because Isabel shouted through my door.

She apparently really wanted me to go because she went at it for hours. That girl had stamina, I'll give her that.

Eventually, I came downstairs to get some food. I crept down the stairs, peeked around corners and down the long hallways for any sign of her. Tip toeing, sneaking, and being extra cautious, I finally found myself in the kitchen with no sight of Isabel.

Good, she's not here-

"Eren! Go to the party with me!"

"EEEEEEEK!"

I grabbed an apple with cat-like speed and bolted out the door, Isabel hot on my heels. I raced through hallway after hallway, but she was relentless. I dodged several maids, always calling an apology over my shoulder. Just then, I saw my savior ahead of me.

"Levi! Please help me! She's a maniac!"

I ducked and hid behind him, using him as a human shield. I knew that Levi would win in a showdown against Isabel.

Isabel seemed to know it too. She came to a wild halt, knowing I had played my wild card.

"Tch, are you still terrorizing her? I'm surprised she hasn't cracked and given in yet."

"B-but Levi-aniki! Eren has to come!"

"Why." It wasn't a question, and certainly one that demanded an answer.

"I promised my friends that I was going to bring my new sister! They are convinced Eren is absolutely gorgeous, and plus, they want to see here eyes!" I swore she had literal sparkles in her eyes.

Levi looked a little annoyed at her explanation.

"You want to show her off?" He said aggravated.

That stumped her. She opened and closed her mouth like a gaping fish out of water. She didn't have a good answer for that. Levi turned to me and asked,

"Eren, do you want to be shown off like a show-and-tell item?"

Isabel looked crestfallen and thoroughly abashed. I sighed, knowing the real reason behind her desperation for wanting me to go, though I needed to hear it from her in case I was wrong.

"Izzy, what is the real reason you want me to go?"

Still looking down, she mumbled,

"Levi-aniki and Farlan never want to go, and now that I have someone who may as well be my sister, I was just so happy."

I silently resigned myself to several hours of complete boredom.

"Oh, what the heck. Fine, whatever. I'll go to your stupid party."

Isabel immediately looked up with a wide grin on her face.

"Really?!"

"Yes, now leave me the heck alone."

She jumped up in the air, literally pumping her fist in joy.

"Whippie!"

Racing off, she left me to seriously ponder my life choices.

"You're strong, I would never have allowed myself to go. Too many brats drunk to the bone and festering with filth," Levi said, shuddering at the thought.

"No, you're strong for not giving in." I sighed dramatically. "I better prepare myself. The party is tonight."

"You poor thing."

I looked at him with pleading eyes. I decided to try my luck.

"I would like some company," I said imploringly. "I'll even relieve your sentence."

Levi glared at me.

"How dare you use that against me. You know I can't refuse now."

I smiled, all teeth, knowing I had won.

"Yay! Now I don't have to suffer alone!"

He rolled his eyes.

"Tch, we might as well start getting ready. It starts at 8:00."

I gave him a pitying look.

"You too?"

He sighed heavily and held his head in his hand.

"I think I have the party details permanently ingrained in my head. What a waste of brain cells," Levi said, mourning his lost brain cells.

I patted his shoulder in understanding.

"Trust me, I know."

We parted ways to go get ready for a complete waste of our precious time.

But what we didn't know was how it would drastically change our lives.

I headed to my room and opened my wardrobe. I had chosen to wear an oversized white sweater, black tights with a mid-thigh black skirt, black ankle boot heels, a black and white fedora, and my nerd glasses. I wasn't one to wear jewelry so I never wore it. I decided to wear some darker red lip stick for the heck of it. I made my way downstairs and into the foyer. Levi and Isabel were already there, ready to go.

Levi was sporting a black pair of jeans, red dress shirt, and a black vest, along with a pair of black Vans. He even put on his own black fedora, which was kind of ironic. Isabel was wearing a pale blue Dee Elle At Ease Skater dress with a small pearl necklace. She had her hair pinned back with a small pearl clasp. She wore warm brown sandals, completing the look.

I stepped off of the staircase and walked over to the small gathering.

"So, how about we get going?"

They each nodded in turn and we all set off to the cars.

Levi's P.O.V.

Don't even get me started on how hard I was trying to hide my emotions. I literally could not deal with how gorgeous Eren was. It was all I could do to hold a straight face when Eren appeared at the top of the staircase. Even harder when Eren was close to me when I opened the car door for her and Isabel.

We had set off a few minutes ago, and it was silent. Correction, Eren and I were quiet, Isabel did all of the talking for us.

"Oh! I can't wait! And even Levi-aniki is coming with us! Score!"

"Isabel, if you don't shut up, I will turn this car around and go back home. We aren't even there yet and you're already too excited for your own good."

"Heh, heh, sorry."

Thus, our journey now was silent.

A few more minutes later, I pulled up to what looked like a very nice house in a very nice neighborhood. It was a nice forest green, two story with a wrap-around porch. Blue trimmings completed the Victorian look, along with the same color of blue shingles on the house, and it was surrounded by healthy bushes. Unfortunately, the scene was ruined by all of the crazily partying teenagers surrounding the house, porch, and what we could see of from the open door, it wasn't getting any better. However, none of this deterred Isabel's spirits.

I realized the driveway and nearest vicinity to it was jam-packed with all of the cars. There was no freakin' way I was parking anywhere near here. I was not about to get my car scratched just because some idiot rammed into it in their drunken stupor. Yeah no, I was going to park a safe distance away from any moron.

I parked my car two houses down, out of the throw-up zone, spilled drink zone, crash zone, etc. In short, my car wasn't going to be touched. And if it was, someone was going to pay.

Isabel didn't even bother to wait for me to turn the car off. She dragged Eren out of the car and raced to the front door, sprinting in.

I chuckled quietly to myself. I suppose I'll have to go rescue her now, huh?

We made a pact earlier that we would stick together, and if someone had pulled the other away, then the other had to save them.

I hopped out of the car, shutting the door behind me and locking up. I took my time strolling up to the door, not at all eager to face what I knew would be a pack of drunk retards.

I prepped myself, psyching myself to the task at hand. I took a deep breath, and then walked up the steps to the front door, walking in.

The smell of alcohol assaulted my nose, making me gag. And if that wasn't bad enough, toxic breath and body odor added to it, layering it until it was almost unbearable. I hid my face in my shirt to attempt to block out any seriously unwelcome smells.

After several minutes of getting jostled around, I found Isabel and Eren on a couch. They, or rather Isabel, was talking to a group of people while Eren did her best to fold into herself to make her less conspicuous. The group all took turns looking at Eren up close, and especially at her eyes, which everyone seemed to absolutely adore. Isabel was cheekily smiling, loving that her sister, for lack of a better term, was so awesome.

I strolled over, linked my arm with Eren's, who gave me the most grateful look, and announced,

"I will be stealing Eren now, thank you."

I briskly led her away, and all the while she was clutching my arm as if it were Jesus incarnate.

"Thank you so much! I was ready to have a panic attack, what with all of those people in my face. They were so rude, Levi!" Eren ranted as we stepped outside to the cool, fresh air. I was never so happy to breath fresh air. Our faces were tinted pink from the hot temperature of all of those people in a single building.

"You're welcome," I plainly replied.

"Seriously, if you need anything, I will come sprinting." She was still clinging to my arm, tugging it slightly for added emphasis.

I smirked. "That bad, huh?"

She groaned.

"You have no idea."

And then, we were viciously dragged back into the mess.

"Guys! They're about to play Spin the Bottle! C'mon!"

Ugh... Here we go again.

Eren and I hung our heads and trudged inside, preparing ourselves for the worst.

What we didn't know was how bad it truly would be, or should I say good?

Eren's P.O.V.

Once again, we were hit by the absolutely horrid smell that permeated the house. However, it was much more organized. No one was shoving anybody else. Thankfully, someone threw up so much that everyone agreed to play outside.

I took a moment to examine the backyard. The first thing I noticed was the basketball court, which was very surprising to me. I didn't know people made backyard basketball courts. I was standing on a nice wooden patio, which had a fire pit in the center surrounded by a set of beautiful chairs of various shades of red, yellow, and orange. I assumed it to represent the flames of the fire. There was a small stairwell that led down to lush green grass. There was a small garden surrounding three trees placed closely together, which I really liked. A trampoline was placed off to the side, almost like an afterthought, but that didn't mean it looked any less fun.

Everyone gathered in a circle on the concrete of the court and someone I didn't know or recognize placed a bottle in the center of the circle. I was sitting down next to Levi, but Isabel chose to sit with her friends on the other side, obviously preferring company who would be willing to hold a conversation over the socially awkward siblings. Or, rather, I was socially awkward while Levi just didn't give a crap. The person with the bottle spinned it to get the game started and it landed on a girl I didn't know.

"Truth or dare?"

"Um..." She looked really nervous, but I couldn't really blame her. "Dare?"

The boy grinned. "I dare you to climb that tree over there to the top!" He said while pointing to the second largest tree in the yard.

Begrudgingly, the girl did. I was thankful the guy didn't ask her for something perverted, and also glad the girl was wearing jeans rather than a dress or skirt. After about ten minutes, the girl finally climbed down, brushing off any discharge from the tree that might have fallen on her. She hurried back to the group, and the game resumed. A few rounds went by, and some people had to do the most ridiculous things, like lick someone's cheek or run around in circles. Even do a handstand. Some people had to tell some of their darkest secrets, none that I want to repeat. But the bottle finally landed on Isabel.

The girl who had spinned it asked her,

"Truth or dare?"

Isabel being Isabel, naturally chose a dare.

"I dare you to... chug a beer!"

This was one of the more daring of dares of the evening. I was kind of surprised that it had come up, since the game was much more tame than I had originally thought it would be.

Everyone laughed, but Isabel looked a little nervous. It appeared she had never consumed any alcohol before. She looked to Levi for help. And Levi being Levi, he motioned for her to comply. I rolled my eyes when everyone started chanting,

"Chug! Chug! Chug!"

as Isabel downed the beer. I had to hand it to her though, she could hold her liquor. But is also brought up another question: how in the world did these teenagers manage to get their hands on any alcohol? If only they spent at least half of the time they used to scheme plans to evade the law in favor of studying, the world might actually be a better place. But that would be a perfect world, and it was far from that.

The bottle was spinning again, and I could see my impending doom before my eyes as the bottle slowed down and then came to an inevitable halt facing me. I willed it with my secret Jedi mind powers to keep moving, but no such luck. My powers decided to ditch at the last minute. Darn it. Isabel had this manic look to her that told me I really wouldn't like where this leads.

Isabel chirped happily,

"Eren! Truth or dare?"

I wasn't about to reveal my personal life, knowing her she would ask, so I chose what I hoped to be the lesser of two evils.

"Dare."

I suddenly realized in that moment that she had wanted me to say dare. And it was the wide grin that gave it away.

"Eren, I dare you to sit on Levi's lap for the entirety of the night. No, actually, not just this game, but on the way home, and every time he sits down and you're in the room, for an entire week!"

Remember how I said the loser to Uno Attack doesn't get to give someone a punishment? Isabel found a way. Jerk.

My eyes, along with Levi's, were blown wide as everyone either snickered or "Oooed!" at the dare.

I just stared at Isabel. I could not believe that this sweet little thing had a devilish side to her. Oh my word. I'm guessing it's the alcohol. Yeah... must be the alcohol... hopefully. Remind me to never give her alcohol ever again.

"Well Eren, that's your cue to sit down. Maybe even snuggle."

How dare you, Isabel? I trusted you!

I looked at Levi, offering him an apologetic look. He sighed in response to my unspoken apology, and gestured that I might as well get it over with. I gingerly took my place on Levi's lap, trying my absolute hardest to not squash him. Though, I wasn't expecting him to put his hands on my waist. I didn't say anything, because I was actually enjoying this immensely. I sent the bottle on its merry way, and the game resumed.

I cannot believe I am doing this.

I felt so bad for Levi. I would have to put his legs through misery the entire week.

Levi had to put his chin on my shoulder to look at the game and see what was going on. On some random instinct, I leaned my head into his, and he didn't say anything, nor move, so I took that as a sign that I was okay to stay like that.

The poor soul who the bottle landed on knew that they were in for a treat.

When Levi and I had enough, we dragged Isabel to the car. She kicked and whined the whole way. We didn't give a single crapola.

"Guys! I wasn't ready to go yet!" She said as we all got into the car. Both of us gave her a hard look, to which she looked away shyly. However, I still had to sit in Levi's lap. Which meant he couldn't drive and the only one who could was Izzy. I was too tired to care that we were about to let a tipsy girl behind the wheel of one of the most expensive cars out there. She gave the evilest of smirks when Levi sat in the back and I awkwardly sat down on his lap. Yet again, his hands found their way to my waist, but I still wasn't complaining.

I could get used to this.

The entire ride back home was quiet, which was fantastic because I didn't think I could take any more noise.

I knew going to that party was going to end badly.

But little did I know that this was the stepping stone to a whole new world I would soon find normal.


	13. The Consequences of Izzy's Wrath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guys! I am such a jerk-face! I am super duper sorry! Here's the new chapter. Gosh darn it.

Levi's P.O.V.

I don't know whether I want to strangle her or get on my knees and thank her for this.

Said girl was currently driving us home, all the while grinning like an idiot at the two of us through the review mirror. Eren had leaned back against me about five minutes into the drive and fell asleep. Not wanting her to fall off, of course, I had wrapped my arms around her thin waist and pulled her to me a little more to make her feel more comfortable. Isabel was clearly enjoying this, and could hardly contain her fangirl squeals. The problem was she was more interested in watching us than driving, so I got on her case more than once. I was feeling tired as well, so I decided to take a little nap myself.

Little did I know Isabel had turned around at a red light and snapped a picture of us.

Eren's P.O.V.

I was awoken by a small poke to my cheek. Drowsily, I opened my eyes, swiveling my head to look at the owner of the offending finger. Isabel was smiling shyly at me.

"Hey, Eren. We're home now," she said softly.

I looked around at my surroundings. I was still in the car, but through the windows I could see the garage. My gaze wandered back to Isabel, smiling a tired smile. Isabel fidgeted a bit in place and gave me a small grin back.

"Could you wake Levi up? I'm kind of scared to, but I doubt he'd get too mad if you woke him up."

I made a small affirmative noise, not really caring why she thought I wouldn't get my head chomped off before her, and Isabel walked off to bed after saying goodnight.

I turned slightly so that I was half facing him and I got a good look at his sleeping form.

He looks so peaceful...

Levi's face held no frown, and he just looked so at peace. I was afraid I was hurting him sitting in his lap for so long, but his face gave no indication that he was in any pain. I smiled slightly.

He looks younger without his usual scowl.

Still smiling, I placed my hand on his cheek, stroking it softly with my thumb. I knew I could get away with touching his face since he was so tired right now. I hated to wake him up, but he'd be much more comfortable in bed, and not in this stuffy car certainly. I leaned over so my mouth was right next to his ear and whispered,

"Levi, unfortunately, you cannot sleep in the car. Let's get you to bed."

He stirred slightly and opened his eyes.

As much as I loved watching him sleep, he looked positively adorable when he was trying to wake up.

Levi gave a small grunt, to which I answered with a light chuckle.

"C'mon, sleepy head, time to go to bed."

Levi made a face of annoyance and closed his eyes, to which I gave a small sigh, knowing this was going to be much harder than it was supposed to be.

I crawled off of his lap so I could try to pull Levi out of the car. I had to muffle my laughter when he gave a small whine of protest when the warmth he so loved drifted away. I finally coaxed Levi out of the car after a few minutes of work and closed the door behind him, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and beginning the long journey up to Levi's room.

After a while of huffing and puffing and dragging Levi to his room, I finally succeeded.

I opened up the door to his, as always, spotless room and didn't bother to turn on any lights because of the moonlight shining through. I walked Levi over to the bed and I stripped the covers down, putting the decorative pillows off to the side neatly so that he could lay under the blankets. He looked like he'd pass out at any moment, so I took the articles of clothing off that would obstruct his sleep. The hat, vest, socks, and shoes came off, and were neatly folded and put on his desk. The shirt I hesitated on, but eventually went ahead and took it off as well, putting it with the rest of his things. But I sure wasn't taking the pants off. Those were staying on.

So this is what it feels like to undress a person... Clean thoughts! Clean thoughts!

I shook my head to get rid of the lingering dust bunnies in my head.

Levi's eyes were closed again, and he was swaying in place, so I maneuvered his body so he was laying down on the bed, head comfortably laid on the pillow. Lovingly, I pulled up the blankets around him, tucking them into him so that he was nice and snug like my mother used to do for me, which sent a small pang of pain through me at the memory. I softly brushed his hair out of his face when he was settled.

I gave a small smile. His hair really was soft...

I sat down on the bed, taking off my shoes in the process so that I wouldn't get dirt on the bed. The hat was plain annoying so I went ahead and took that off as well. I began sliding my fingers through his hair, untangling the tiny knots as I went, while scratching the shaved hair under the fringe. I didn't remember when I started humming; it was a nameless tune that I didn't even know I knew.

A couple minutes of mindlessly playing with Levi's hair had gone by, and I thought that it was time to finally go to bed. I wasn't looking forward to the long climb up to my room, sighing at the thought of all of those stairs that I would have to trek. I made my way to get up, but an arm found its way around me, pulling me down onto the bed. My eyes widened in shock, and I turned slightly to see Levi's sleeping face. My eyes only widened more when I was pulled into him, so his chest was pressing flush against my back. I could practically hear my racing heart, feel the pounding grow harder as my face heated up. I tried to get out of the strong grip, but my efforts were futile against such a strong arm. I sighed, resigned to my fate.

At least it's warm...

Truly, he was like a mini heater, pun intended, and I couldn't help but be drawn into it. I snuggled into his embrace and felt my eyes drift shut, not awake enough to care that I was sleeping with a member of the opposite gender.

I also didn't know when Farlan came into the room to say goodnight, only to be met with the sight of us snuggled up together in Levi's bed.

Farlan's P.O.V.

I took in the sleeping couple, but they wouldn't call themselves that, the blind silly idiots. Not yet, at least, ha ha ha.

Levi was semi-dressed with his arm wrapped tightly around Eren, sleeping soundly, even though he was an insomniac. I smiled slightly at how easily it was for him to fall asleep with Eren. Speaking of said girl, she looked completely adorable, with her legs tucked into her and her hands grasping Levi's arm, snuggled up against him. I smirked, snapped a photo, and closed the door behind me when leaving the room, silently fanboying and I couldn't wait until morning to show Isabel what I found.

Levi's P.O.V.

I don't remember falling asleep, which was weird in itself, and certainly not getting into bed, let alone undressing myself.

I became conscious of my position. I was tucked warmly into a blanket, my face slightly tickled by hair that smelled absolutely wonderful. And my arm was wrapped around someone.

Wait, what?

I immediately bolted into a sitting position so I could get a better look at everything.

And that is where I found all of the answers to my questions. My missing clothes were neatly folded on my desk, hat resting on top along with another hat which I recognized to be Eren's with both pairs of our shoes resting on the floor. I looked down to see said girl, and Lord God Almighty, help me.

Eren was asleep, tightly curled into herself, with her hands resting near her head, giving the whole look a childish, but completely adorable appearance. I saw that she was in the same clothes from the night before, which sort of puzzled me. Her hair was splayed out on the bed, since she didn't have a pillow. I looked down, and my face immediately caught on fire because that skirt was way, WAY too high. I silently reached down and pulled the skirt back into a comfortable place that wouldn't rile up my hormones. I smiled slightly to myself when I saw that she had been thoughtful enough to take her shoes off in the first place. But why on earth was she in my bed at all? Not that I'm complaining too much.

I was about to wake her up when I leaned over enough to get a good glimpse of her face. My heart skittered to a stop for a second, then went full throttle. Her face was absolutely angelic; no scrunched eyebrows, lips slightly parted and the most relaxed look on her face. Fitting for the angel that she was.

I took a big gulp and several deep breaths before I reigned in my male urges enough to wake her up. I gently shook her shoulder, to which she only gave a small grunt of annoyance. I gave a small chuckle but still persisted in my efforts. After the fourth attempt, she said in a groggy voice that I would never tire of hearing,

"Alright, alright, I'll get up. Just leave me alone already. Geez."

It took a lot out of me to suppress my laughter, which was kind of funny to have, really, because I never laughed and the sensation was still weird and foreign to me. I couldn't wait to see her face when she realizes where she was.

Eren stretched herself out for a moment, yawning widely before fluttering her bleary eyes open. It took a minute for her to get her bearings, and when she did, her eyes were wide as saucers.

"L-L-L-Levi! I s-swear it's n-not what it l-looks like!"

I decided I'd tease her a bit so I could see her cute, blushing face again.

"Oh? Because it looks to me like you crawled in my bed and fell asleep. Wanted to take a little nappy-nap in my bed? Decided to just slip on in and make yourself comfortable, eh?'

I could practically feel the heat emanating from her face.

Bingo.

"N-no! I was helping you into bed and y-you..." I didn't think it was possible for her face to get any more red.

Man, I seriously loved teasing this girl.

"I what, Eren? If you don't tell me, how am I supposed to believe your story, huh?'

Eren averted her eyes and stuttered out,

"I was p-playing with y-your hair, but I n-needed to g-go to bed. I g-got up to leave, b-but y-you grabbed m-me and p-pulled me down."

I mentally high-fived my tired self. Way to go, me. Eren kept going.

"I tried to break loose, but you wouldn't budge. I had no c-choice!"

She kept on rambling, and I decided she had enough embarrassment.

"Alright, alright, Eren. I'm just teasing. I know you would never do anything that would jeopardize anything."

She breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately jumped right back in.

"But why on earth did you do that, Levi?" she asked. She didn't sound mad, which was always a good sign.

"What? I can't control what Tired Levi does. He's a weirdo."

"You're the same person!"

"So?"

She huffed, but didn't continue. Point- Levi! I registered something she said at that moment, though, and my teasing habits didn't help.

"Wait, you were playing with my hair?'

Eren was gaping like a fish out of water. Her expression was positively hilarious.

"I-I think I'll g-go now..."

I wasn't finished though; she hadn't answered my question.

"Uh-uh, Eren. You're not allowed to leave just yet. You have yet to answer my question."

She refused to meet my gaze.

"N-no, I really think I s-should be leaving..."

Eren made it to where she was sitting up, thinking that she could get away that easily.

Oh no, you don't.

She made a high-pitched squeal when I dragged her back and started tickling her. Her giggles and the occasional little screeches filled the air as she squirmed under my assault. I started laughing along with her because her laugh was too contagious.

"L-Levi! Stop! That tickles!"

I scoffed slightly and answered, "Ha! No dip, Sherlock! It's supposed to!"

"Noooo!"

After a good five minutes, Eren was tapping out.

"Okay, okay, I give!"

I appraised her with a smirk on my face.

"You sure? I could definitely keep going," I looked at her with amusement.

"Yes! Now let me up!" She smacked her hand against my chest for added emphasis.

Only now did I truly become aware of my state of undress. Particularly the lack of a shirt. Crap.

Noticing I wasn't saying anything, Eren turned to me with a quizzical look.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Uh... um... I'm... not... wearing a shirt..." I answered nervously.

She gave me a blank look, like she was just realizing this herself as well, which didn't make me feel as bad.

"Oh... okay."

"That's it?" I asked a little incredulously. Wasn't she taking this a little more casually than what was the norm? Or did she simply not care?

My expression must have given my thoughts away, or at least Eren used her Jedi mind powers again and looked into my soul... Gosh darn it.

"Uh, yes? Here, I'll get you something if you're that bothered by it."

Eren walked over to my closet and I could hear her shuffling through my things until she came back with a black wife-beater; I honestly hated that name. She threw the shirt at me and turned her back to me, trying to let me have a semblance of privacy, which I thought was very sweet and endearing of her. I smirked silently to myself and quickly slid the shirt over my head and straightened out any ruffles But now that I thought about it, she had already seen me shirtless, so there wasn't any real point to her turning her back to me.

"C'mon, let's go downstairs and get some breakfast."

Eren gave a small affirmative nod and smiled, following me out of the door to the kitchen. On our way down there, our hands had become wrapped in each other's without the two of us really knowing it had happened.

Little did I know that it was 11:00 in the morning, the longest time I had ever slept in.


	14. The Date Through The Sky

**I want to dedicate this chapter to Giantcelt15, who was a great help to get my butt up and make this! Thanks, man! Now, can you put the sledgehammer down...? ._.**

Chapter 14- The Date Through The Sky 

Levi's P.O.V. 

After coming down the stairs, I had made breakfast with eggs and bacon with toast. At the smell, Isabel and Farlan came down to join us and we all sat around the dining table discussing weekend plans. Unfortunately, not, Eren had to sit in my lap, which made eating a little difficult. Though, to me, the problem was a welcome one. I loved having her where she was currently. 

"Hey, Levi-aniki, Farlan has a soccer tournament after school today, so I'm going to join him. You're welcome to join us," Isabel said with a smile on her face. 

I cleared my throat and answered her. "I actually had some plans in mind for today, but could you take pictures for me?" I answered a little nervously. 

Isabel gave me a knowing look, followed by a wink. 

"Alright, Aniki! Just make sure you bring Eren with you, yeah? Don't want her to be bored at home." 

I swore she was hiding a smirk. 

"Yada yada, fine, whatever. If she wants to come, she's welcome. I doubt she'd be too interested in soccer anyway." I looked over at Eren with a quizzical look. 

Understanding my unspoken question, she gave me a smile and answered, 

"Sure! What are you doing?" 

"Tell you later, it's sort of a surprise," I said, hoping no one caught onto the fact I had been planning this for a while and I was secretly hoping that she would come with me. 

Apparently my luck doesn't run that far, because Farlan and Isabel were hiding their smirks behind their stuffed mouths. 

I gave them each a bone-chilling glare, silently telling them not to lead Eren onto what was happening, to which they both gave little winks in answer. Eren, for her part, was too busy eating to really care about our mental conversations at the moment. I looked down at my watch and my eyes widened a bit. 

"Guys! We have to go or we'll be late. Shoot, I was hoping to get the dishes done before we left." 

Eren gave a small chuckle, knowing full well what this was going to do to my OCD all day, but also knowing I really hated being late to school as well. 

"C'mon, Levi, you can put them in the sink really quick and I can get the car started, so they won't just sit here. Or, you can be lenient for once and let one of the maids do them for you, and that way you can rest easy." 

I was incredibly torn, but I decided to go with the latter plan, knowing I would be cleaning them better when I got back to my standards. 

"Tch, fine." I headed over to the stairs and yelled, 

"Hey, Hannah? Would you mind doing the dishes for me? I don't have time to do them myself." 

A young woman appeared at the top of the stairs, with a smile on her face. 

"Of course! I'd be happy to. You should hurry to school though. Let me take care of the dishes." 

Nodding my head, Eren and I walked to the garage, watching as Farlan and Isabel take off in their own car already. Quickly getting in, I started the car and we were off to school. 

Eren's P.O.V. 

I was honestly thrilled about whatever Levi's plan was. It was keeping me on the edge of my seat the entire day. Time seemed to slow, making me even more anxious for school to be over with. 

My friends could clearly see the excitement oozing out of every pore of my body, not to mention the not-so-hidden smile that managed to peek out every once in a while. 

"Eren, why do you look like you'll bolt out the door any second now?" Mikasa said, finally voicing everyone's thoughts. We were all sitting under the cherry blossom tree. We being Mikasa, Armin, Levi, Hanji, and Erwin. Hanji and Erwin were following Levi around, so they inevitably joined us for lunch. Not that I minded, I actually liked them very much. 

I looked over, a little shy now to give the reason, but went ahead and answered, 

"Apparently, after school, there is a surprise place I'm going to, and I am really excited to find out," I said a little softly to him and Armin since it would be embarrassing to say, "Oh yeah, Levi is taking me somewhere for a surprise after school today." Yeah... no teasing is gonna happen there. 

"Oh? Who's taking you? Levi?" Armin said with a knowing look. 

I blushed lightly and turned my head a bit. "Yeah." 

Mikasa and Armin exchanged a set of smirks, to which I punched both of them in the shoulder for. To their credit, they merely snorted at my actions. They had become used to the fact that I always lashed out a bit when I get embarrassed. But not harshly, more playfully, in my defense. Unlike a certain someone I know, not to mention any names. 

"Well, I hope you have fun," Armin said politely, to which I gave a small smile. He was always such a sweetheart. 

Levi's P.O.V. 

I could already tell that Eren was super excited for the surprise that I was going to be taking her to, if the smiles and the bouncing in her seat with a grin plastered on her face were anything to go by. Not to mention the constant gaze toward the clock in the classroom. 

She tried many times to ply the information out of me, but I wasn't budging. Nope, this was going to be a surprise. Her puppy eyes were useless in this situation. Though they were still incredibly cute. 

I could practically see the glee when five minutes were left until school was out. It had seemed like Eren was not even paying a lick of attention anymore to the teacher, who noticed, but let it go. 

When the bell rang, she literally flew out of her seat to the door, grabbing my wrist on the way. Confused glances were thrown in our direction, to which I ignored, opting to focus on the contact of her hand on mine. Before I knew it, we were standing in front of my car. Throwing a smirk over at Eren, I lazily pulled my keys out of my bag and unlocked the car. Eren, for her part, noticed I was teasing her, and quit shifting from foot to foot to glare at me for prolonging the surprise even more. I chuckled, and slid in, starting up the car after throwing my bag in the back. Soon, we were speeding off to our destination. 

The entire ride was incredibly amusing, if I do say so myself. Eren was constantly trying to get the information out of me, and looking out the window to see what could possibly be the surprise I had in store. It wasn't until I pulled up into the parking lot did she finally understand what we were doing. 

"Oh my gosh! Zip-lining?! Yes! Yes! Yes! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Eren said, followed by an awkward hug across the seat. 

We had pulled into a zip-lining attraction that a friend of mine worked at. I honestly loved coming here, and I knew Eren probably had never gone. This was the perfect chance to give her a fun experience without spending too much money. Not that I was worried too much about the money, but Eren would get mad if I spent so much on her. This was the best compromise I could think of. 

Eren quickly exited the vehicle and started jumping up and down, throwing an elated grin my way when I started walking up to the building. I hid a chuckle at a hidden silver lining that I was planning on bringing to light as well. 

Eren's P.O.V. 

As we entered the tall building, I had no idea that my pride was soon to be ruined. Levi had secured a reservation for us so that we could go ahead and get started as soon as we got there. He seemed to know the workers because they called him by name and he responded in kind. 

I went to the counter and stated Levi's name, and the employee looked through the database. 

"Okay, you're on time. We can go ahead and get you geared up." 

I was brimming with excitement. I had always wanted to go zip-lining, and everyone who had previously gone talked about it as if it were the best thing that had ever happened to them. It was finally my turn, now that I could actually afford it, and I wasn't about to let a sarcastic midget ruin this for me. I mean this in the most loving way, of course. Boy, was I in for a surprise. 

I turned around and headed back to Levi, who was talking to another employee. The employee was animatedly talking to Levi, who, in comparison, was his normal stoic self. 

When I reached them, they both gave each other one last look, which I could have sworn had an evil glint to it, but I paid no mind. I was too thrilled at the prospect of gliding through the wind in a harness. They turned to me as I approached. 

"Alright! The employee at the desk said that we could go ahead and get started." 

All I received in reply was a quiet, "Tch". 

The man who Levi was talking to earlier spoke up, 

"Okay then, if we have the go ahead, than we can go to the back and get you into your gear, and I'll give you a basic tutorial. I'll remind you that this is a mile long course, so if you're a beginner, let me know." 

I answered, "This is my first time." 

He smiled. "That's awesome! I hope you have a great time, but I ask that you pay special attention to my instructions." 

"I can do that." 

"Excellent! Right this way, please." 

He walked to a door off to one side, with Levi and I in tow. We entered a small room with harnesses hung in all sizes. 

The employee turned to us and said, "Alright, for the young lady I think an adult medium will do. As for you, Levi, I'm afraid you'll only get a youth large." 

Levi's aura took on dark undertones, but I wasn't about to hide my laughter. I honestly wasn't intimidated by his icy glare. I just stuck my tongue out at him, letting him know that it didn't work on me anymore. 

The attendant looked a little impressed. "How are you not 'quaking in your boots'? That was one icy glare, especially from Levi." 

I merely smiled and slung my arm around Levi's shoulders, who crossed his arms and "Tch"ed again. 

"Awe, he is just a soft little teddy bear." 

The attendant said something under his breath that suspiciously sounded like, "To you, at least." 

Levi and he shared another meaningful glance, and I was beginning to suspect that I wasn't imagining anything earlier. 

"If you say so," he said with an obvious tone of disbelief. 

We then, finally, got into out gear, but I had to have help with mine since I didn't know what went where. The attendant gave us the tutorial in another room and then we were off to the course. 

I should have known not to tease Levi. His revenge is always thought out, precise, and meticulously planned. 

The attendant was helping me get hooked up to the main line, since Levi so graciously allowed me to go first. That was the first warning. 

The second came when the attendant didn't check to make sure everything was fine with the arrangement. 

And the last came when I placed all of my weight on the harness, picking my feet up off of the ground to make my own evaluation when I was set. 

And that's when it happened. 

I am not sure how I even ended up in this position. I was upside down, with my arms and legs all pointing downwards in various directions. I could tell when I looked at Levi that he was holding in barely concealed laughter with a smirk of triumph shining through. 

I threw him an accusing look. "This was your idea." Definitely not a question. 

"Maybe." 

"You got the attendant to do something to my harness." Still not a question. 

"Good guess," he said by way of an answer. 

The attendant raced to explain himself at the ferocity of my glare when directed at him. 

"Levi, here, wanted a little revenge and asked me if I could possibly tamper with the equipment so you could make a fool of yourself. I said that I couldn't do that, but we had a piece of faulty equipment that we could use. I couldn't send you off that way, though. Levi reassured me that you'd test the equipment yourself before anything. And I was prepared to catch you if you didn't. I wished you no harm," he ended, with his hands up in a placating gesture, pleading silently for his life. 

I shifted my glare back to Levi. "You're enjoying this, aren't you." I still wasn't making this a question. 

"Quite possibly," he merely replied. 

I continued glaring, making it impossibly harder and more razor sharp, silently demanding a better, more truthful, answer. 

"Okay, immensely," he relented. 

Apparently, not even he could withstand my glare for very long. I took a mental note of that. 

I snorted, satisfied I had intimidated Levi into answering. 

"Help me down, midget," I said oh-so affectionately. 

"Now, why would I do that?" Levi replied with a slight tilt to his head. 

"Because if you don't I will literally rip myself out of this harness and trash your room when we get home. You'll have to pay for the broken harness since I have no money and then you get to go home and do some nice cleaning." 

"You wouldn't dare," he said with a frown. 

"Look me in the eye and tell me what you see." He did so. And he decided to be a smart aleck about it. 

"I see blue and green, but there really isn't a dominant color. You have a few gold flecks around your irises. All in all, you have very pretty eyes." 

I ignored the compliment. "Quit being a smart aleck and get me out of this stupid harness, and I'll drop the part where I take a bucket of water with vegetable oil and dye to your bed and carpet. If you do it quickly and personally without the help of this nice attendant here," I coughed here to indicate my sarcasm, "then I may drop the entire charge." 

Levi didn't have to be told twice. I was out of that harness faster than you can say, "Midget". 

I brushed imaginary dust off of my shoulders and smirked. "I suppose I shall relinquish my charge, since I am feeling generous today." 

As I walked away in triumph, I could hear the employee say to Levi, "That's one scary girl you have there." 

Levi grunted in affirmation, to which I secretly smirked at. 

"Hurry up! I need a new harness, and I want to get started!" I shouted back playfully. 

Levi's P.O.V. 

I could tell this was a good choice. Eren seemed to immensely enjoy herself gliding through the air, hanging upside sometimes, even. She seemed to not have a care in the world that she was at least fifty feet off of the ground. I contributed that to the fact that she was an angel, and angels fly around all of the time. Now, don't "Aww!" me, I know that was cheesy. 

When it was finally over, Eren and I were completely exhausted, and trudged our way back to the car to head back home. Eren had this glow around her though, and I could tell she was very pleased with the day, to which I smiled. 

A few minutes later brought us to the garage of my house, and then to Eren's room to play a little Gold Fish, request of Eren. After a few rounds, we steadily grew even more tired, and I decided I wanted to take a nap before dinner. 

But something was really bugging me. I honestly felt that the love I held for Eren was too bottled up, and about to explode. She was so kind, so sweet, and just overall perfect, and I don't know how I could keep it in any longer. 

So I decided not to, hoping against hope that she wouldn't freak out, but I decided to take the chance. 

"Hey, Eren, there is something I want to tell you."


	15. The Confession

Chapter 15- The Confession

Levi's P.O.V.

I don't believe I have ever done something so nerve-wracking in my entire life. You would think that it would be easy, and simple, but when you are about to confess something so deep to the person you love, it tends to make you sweat buckets and make you feel queasy, though it wasn't entirely unpleasant.

Eren was looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to say what I wanted to say. I took a deep breath, and did my best to look her in the eye when I told her.

"Eren, I don't really know how to say this. I am not even sure where our relationship will go after I tell you, but I want, no need, you to know. I honestly haven't felt like this before in all of my life, but I can still tell what this is." I could hear Eren's breath hitch a little at that last sentence. I continued on.

"I wanted you to know that I... that... Oh for heaven's sakes, I love you, Eren! Geez, I love you! Your smile, your laugh, your eyes, especially when you get to the punch line of a joke. I love your hair, it's so beautiful and soft that it makes me want to run my fingers through it all of the time. I love how strong you are; you have been through the worst of the worst, and you still come out stronger than when you go in. You bear so many scars, and oddly enough I love each and every one of them. They are a part of you, and I want to love everything about you, the good and the bad. Your temper is scary, but it only shows how you are willing to fight for what is yours and what you believe in. I love how loving and compassionate you are. You immediately adopted the role of sister when you met Isabel and Farlan, and you love them like they were your own. I love how you are open with me, and my selfish self adores that you are only like that for me, no one else. I love how peaceful you look when you sleep, like you have no care in the world, and you look like an angel sent to me from the Lord Himself. I love your voice, you truly have a gift, and it's like listening to choirs of angels. Your whole presence makes me feel calm and relaxed, something that I never am. I love your whole being, you are truly the best thing that has happened to me, and I dare say will ever happen to me for all of my life. You're beautiful, from the inside-out, and I can only dream of calling you mine. I could name so much more, but it would take hours to say it all. I'm sorry if this sounds completely sappy to you, but I can't help it. It's all so true."

I let out a breath. All of the thoughts and feelings I had bottled up had come rushing out, and I didn't know where they started and when they stopped. All I know is that they were mine, and I wanted to share them with Eren in the best way I could.

Eren looked like she was on the verge of tears, an unknown emotion flooding her eyes, and that really worried me. I thought for a moment that she was upset over my words, until she came back with this.

"Levi, do you remember the first day I met you, and I introduced you to the cherry tree?" she asked a little quietly, probably because of the tears. I was more than a little confused as to where she was going with this, but I decided to go along with it.

"Yeah, I remember," I replied.

"I think I figured out what you thought was the most beautiful thing. You said that if I did, you would give me something. So, I'm making my guess." She paused here, but took a breath and continued. "Was it me? I know that sounds a little full of myself, but I had to try."

I smiled warmly at her, probably the warmest smile I had ever made for anyone and answered, "Yes, Eren. It was you. No, it still is you."

At this, she gave me a smile of her own. "So, what do I get?"the kind of person she truly was.

"If you don't want it, I'll understand, but I'm going to try to give it to you. Just tell me to stop if you don't want it." I swallowed nervously, but Eren made no move to say no. I took this as a good sign, and than continued. "Could you close your eyes? It would help."

Obediently, she complied.

Taking a deep, calming breath, I steeled my nerves and started to lean forward. It felt like time itself slowed down to a crawl as I drew closer and closer to her. We were only millimeters apart now, and I asked, "May I continue?"

In response, she only nodded, her breath ghosting across my lips, further boosting my spirits.

I closed my eyes and then closed the remaining distance between us. When my lips met hers, it felt like electricity was sent coursing through my veins, lighting me up inside with the most pleasant of feelings. I was a little nervous when Eren didn't participate at first, but relief flooded through me when she became active. My heart swelled and soared with happiness, but that is only loosely describing it. Not that I could have said it any better. All of my dreams had finally come true, but I still needed to hear it from her lips that she felt the same way I did. Begrudgingly, I pulled away to look into her eyes, which held a dazed quality to them, and than suddenly cleared. I cleared my throat and asked,

"How do you feel? About me?" I said more than a little hesitantly.

Her smile lit up the room, and she answered in the most loving tone I had ever heard anyone ever use with me.

"Silly, Levi. I couldn't love you more."

Her reply sent another smile to my face, and I leaned in again, with much more vigor and confidence than the last time. I probably could have started dancing on clouds right about now from the pure elation that was my entire being.

We stayed up late that night, exchanging loving words and a few kisses here and there. And we also stepped up our relationship, which was probably the best part of it all.

Eren's P.O.V.

Apparently, we had fallen asleep on my chair with a blanket wrapped around the two of us. For a moment, I truly thought I was dreaming. I even went so far as to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't. When after the fourth pinch, and I still hadn't "woken up", a wide grin plastered itself all over my face. Levi said he loved me last night. Levi had his arms around me as we sat in my chair, after falling asleep together. Levi was my boyfriend. I couldn't be any happier than I was right now in this moment. I wanted to continue to wake up by his side every day for the rest of my life. I snuggled into him more, to gather more of his comforting warmth. Levi, for his part, stirred a bit before opening his sleepy eyes, eventually trailing them down to meet mine. A small smile came to his face, no doubt because he was having similar thoughts. In a sleepy voice, no more than a quiet whisper, he said,

"Good morning, sunshine."

Giggling a little to myself, I hesitantly lifted my face up a bit to plant a small kiss to his cheek.

"Morning, sleepy head," I answered in kind.

Obviously not satisfied with a mere kiss to his cheek, he leaned down a bit and placed his lips on mine, in a firm, passionate way that left me slightly breathless. I don't think I could ever get enough of his intoxicating kisses.

I sighed in contentment, thinking back to last night. I was so, so nervous, but I was also very calm. His confession left me floored and absolutely love-crazed. I was ready to tackle him in an embrace, being so elated that I was. Even when nervous, he was so eloquent. It drove me bonkers that someone could be so near to perfect. But it made me ecstatic that that person loved me with their entire being. These were the thoughts running through my head at the time. But when he had asked for me to close my eyes, I was ready to start crying in happiness. Don't get me wrong, I'm not stupid. I could tell what he was going to do when he first started talking. So the only thing I could do was nod and let him kiss me. I believe whole-heartedly that I was dreaming until I felt the contact of his lips on mine.

Levi's words brought me out of my reverie.

"We better start getting ready for school. Also, you might want to prepare yourself for when we tell Isabel and Farlan about our relationship." I could tell he was nervous about that last sentence, like I could also tell that he was actually asking me whether or not I wanted to tell them yet. It warmed my heart that he wanted to tell Isabel and Farlan immediately that we were dating now, and I had no qualms whatsoever in sharing that with them, though the teasing was going to be glorious.

"Okay, I will. Now shoo, shoo! I'm changing!" I said heartily as I waved my hands at him in a festive manner. I didn't fail to catch the slight blush marring Levi's features when I said that I was changing, either. Hue, hue, hue.

After a good thirty minutes, I was ready to go, so I made my way downstairs. On the way to the kitchen, I thought about the upcoming appointment I had with my doctor where he was going to take my cast off. I felt giddy at that thought, knowing that freedom was nigh. I skipped the rest of the way to the kitchen to find the sight of Levi with a skillet in his hands expertly flipping pancakes while Isabel and Farlan watched on in a mixed look of awe and fascination, with subtle hints of amusement. My mouth was already watering when I saw the pancakes.

Upon noticing I had arrived, Levi gave me a look that I took to mean that he wanted to tell them around the table. I took pride in the fact that we could now have mental conversations as well, fueling my ego slightly. But whatever.

When everyone had situated themselves around the table, with me, again, still in Levi's lap (though I was now an expert in eating and doing this without getting in Levi's way) and had dug into their pancakes for a bit, Levi gave me a look, asking silently whether or not I wanted to tell or if I wanted him to. Feeling a little sheepish of the prospect of telling my newly acquired siblings the fact I was dating their brother (whoa, that really sounds weird), I guiltily let Levi take the brunt of the attack (assault?).

"Izzy, Farlan, Eren and I wanted to let you guys know something," Levi said with a serious face, but I could tell by the slight twitch in his frame that he was also really nervous.

Said people looked up from shoving their faces to give Levi questioning looks, though not without suspicion to what they thought was about to happen. Props to them for being smart.

Levi cleared his throat a bit before continuing, "Eren and I are... now... dating. We thought you guys should be the first to know."

The reaction was immediate.

"About flippin' time! Geez! I'm SO glad that my efforts paid off so well!"

With an incredulous look directed at Isabel, Levi and I both started laughing so hard we fell to the floor in a heap, still laughing at the look Isabel was giving us, not to mention Farlan's expression at the whole scene. I'll leave that up to your own imagination.

After Levi and I settled down again, we gave Isabel full details on how long we had been dating, who confessed to who, had we kissed yet, how long had we liked each other, and so on and so forth. It was all quite amusing.

I took a long look at the scene before me, not quite believing that this was my life, and not someone else's. A look of peace fell over me and I relaxed into Levi's warmth, feeling his arm snake around my waist in the now familiar gesture of protectiveness. One look at this scene, and I knew that without a doubt, my life was going to be going in the right direction for a while, and if or when it finally goes south again, I'll know that I have these people that are now in my lives to back me up and keep me on my feet, as I would do for them. And without a doubt in my mind, I knew that Levi would be with me every step of the way, never failing, and always being by my side.

These thoughts brought tears to my eyes, which startled everyone around the table. But I assured them they were happy tears.

Yes, I knew that my life would be better now. All thanks to Levi.


	16. The Beginning of Drastic Changes

Eren's P.O.V.

For a month, things proceeded in this manner. Never had I thought that I was allowed such happiness. Never had I thought that I could be loved so thoroughly by my new siblings and friends and boyfriend. Never had I thought I would even have those people in my life. Never had I thought I could enjoy school more than I already did. Never had I thought that I could love at all. And most importantly, I never thought I would ever have someone as kind, loving, and beautiful as Levi in my life. 

So why did I get the bad feeling that this would all crash down on me as soon as I get comfortable?

Grisha's P.O.V.

I never thought that this would ever happen to me. I don't remember how it had gotten so bad. It seems like yesterday that I found my deceased wife staring adoringly at the rose bushes in front of the university. By then, it had been several months into the school year, and my crush on her had only grown from first sight. I would always find excuses to talk to her or even just get a glimpse of her. And then, it finally happened: we became friends. And over time, that developed into more. I was planning to major in medicine, while she decided she wanted to do the same, though she never really went into it after we married. When university ended, I asked Carla to marry me, and a month later we were successfully moved into our new house with a child on the way. Everything was going so smoothly and perfectly, and Eren came along. I loved her and my wife so much. For ten years, our family only grew happier and happier, and my job really kicked off. I became a famous doctor, being known as the man who could cure practically everything. And then, it all crashed down on me in an instant. I had come home to find police officers all around my house. When I asked what had happened, they told me a mother and her child had been kidnapped and they were still looking for them. After a few hours, I received a phone call telling me that they had found my daughter, but "I'm sorry sir, but your wife is dead," was all I could hear or really care about in that moment. My wife was no longer with me. Immediately, I was filled with irrational anger, and all I wanted to do was tear our the hearts of every person involved. I raced to the hospital, and in the morning, was told that Eren had already done the deed. But that didn't help my anger. How could my little girl take out those men, but not protect Carla, my most beloved thing on this earth? Now channeling my anger to Eren, we moved to America and settled in. But the nightmares would never truly go away.

I swore that Eren would never have a happy life after that. For not protecting my beloved. If she was so strong, surely she could have kept Carla alive. But no, the little brat had to have her mother save her before she could hurt anyone. I will never forgive her.

That is why I must escape. 

I must have my revenge.

Levi's P.O.V.

I had never seen Eren so full of life as she had been for the last month. She was more social and overall vibrant, she grew comfortable with other people besides myself, Izzy, and Farlan, and she had even let her friends in on the fact that she was coated in scars. I was kind of disappointed in that, hoping to keep that very personal fact between us, but than again, I am a very selfish person and I need to let some things go. Wow, she really has changed me. Plus, she got very goof at making tea, which I never passed up an offer on when Eren was in the mood to make it. 

My classes were going well, figuring that I transferred so late into the year into a new country with new rules and the like. But I guess that was easier with Eren. 

In a way, Eren's sociable attitude rubbed off on me as well, as much as I hate to admit it. I was more open with people, though not very many of them because they are all filthy brats that need to shove off somewhere. In addition, my expressions progressed from one to five, maybe. Give or take. The new four are reserved for Eren only. 

At the end of the month though, I got a very weird feeling that I was being watched. At first, I didn't want to tell anyone because I thought I might have been imagining it, but as the week progressed, I had to admit that this was unnatural. Of course, the first person I told was Eren, and she expressed that she was actually feeling the same way. This put me on edge. I didn't know what to expect anymore, but I was hoping to God that it would pass and we were just being paranoid given our pasts. 

Unfortunately, this was not the case as it progressed more and more over the next few weeks. It got to the point that I thought I could see someone following me if I turned around quick enough. I made sure Eren was by my side at all times, because if anything bad would happen, it would unfortunately be to her, because the poor girl just summons the worst kind of luck.

To get our minds off of the weird feeling, I gathered all of our friends together and hosted a party at my house. Of course, I warned them that if they left a mess anywhere, they would be skinned alive and thrown into the rain. Because yes, it happened that it was raining today. It turned out to be a lot of fun. We played a lot of games, including Uno Attack, and even with the added number of people, Eren still conquered all, with Izzy last of course. But in the next few games we played, I came out on top, with Eren and Erwin tying for second in most of them. I almost started laughing one time when I caught the look Eren sent Erwin, and vice versa, when Erwin won Scrabble. It was priceless, and I mourned the fact I couldn't get it on camera. Food and drink were obviously provided, though I eyed Sasha when she continuously stuffed her face with the potato chips. Surprisingly enough, she didn't spill a single crumb, though I guessed it was because she loved it too much to spill any. As the night wore on, Eren told me she had to use the bathroom. I was suddenly hit with a wave of foreboding.

"Maybe I should come with you?" I asked, though I wanted to face-palm myself for asking. But I couldn't shake off this bad feeling.

In return, she gave me a strange look, which morphed into one of understanding. Gosh, she was smart. "I will be fine, Levi. I'll come right back," she reassured me.

I was still hesitant, but I allowed her to go. This would turn out to be one of the worst mistakes of my life.

Eren's P.O.V.

Levi wasn't the only one who was feeling slightly hesitant. I could feel a cold, itching feeling crawling up my spine. But I didn't want to admit that I was scared of being alone. Thankfully, Levi had allowed me to keep sleeping with him in his room lately, so I didn't have to feel so alone, but now that I had to go up a couple flights of stairs to the nearest bathroom, I wasn't feeling so sure of myself. I didn't want to admit to Levi that yes, I absolutely wanted him to come with me, but I also didn't want to look weird in front of my friends. So I made a hasty decision to go by myself.

I slowly ascended the staircase, and entered the dark hallway. Suddenly, I was extremely petrified. All of the shadows suddenly looked menacing, and the portraits were definitely staring at me. I quickened my pace. I wanted to get back to Levi's warm and safe embrace as quickly as possible. I even contemplated whether or not I should just ignore the sensation and go running back to Levi. Or even change my first decision and ask him to come with me. Though my pride would not let me. 

I should have known that it would be my doom. I had read many stories already of people dying because of their stupid pride.

I finally found the bathroom, but I never made it inside.

Because my world had finally returned to the black I once knew so well until I had Levi.

Levi's P.O.V.

It hit me like a ton of bricks. 

Suddenly, I jumped up, eliciting the attention and weird looks of my new friends. Without a word, I rushed to the staircase, unaware that I was being followed by them. I hurried my way down the corridor, until I reached the bathroom. Though, I really didn't have to go that far. Because on the floor, was a small pool of blood, and no Eren.

I should have followed her.


	17. The Pain of Consequences

Grisha's P.O.V.

I couldn't believe that my plan was working so well. I had found the backdoor unlocked and had snuck inside. Though avoiding the maids was a slight problem; I had to knock one out. As I approached what I thought was the main entranceway, I heard laughter from a group of people. Peeking around the corner, I found several teenagers gathered around a lit fireplace playing games, snacking, and sharing jokes. My eyes alit upon the one person who I only had interest in. And she was sitting in the lap of the one person I did not want to see. This would have made my plan harder. but at that moment, she got up and said she was going to the bathroom. Of course, the boy had asked if he should come along, which made my heart fall, because that would spoil my plans again. He always excelled at that. But thankfully, she said no and continued on her way. I raced to get into position behind a tapestry near the bathroom. After about a minute, she came down the hall and reached for the bathroom door handle. And then the fist came down.

I had to hurry, so I quickly picked up her limp body and rushed to the backdoor and shoved her into the car. I wasn't aware I had made a pool of her blood on the floor.

Levi's P.O.V.

I was seeing red. In both the blood and in my vision. I was vaguely aware of people behind me asking what was wrong and than gasping as they caught a look at what I found. And then I was running. Running as hard and fast as possible down the hall. I found the open backdoor, and continued sprinting out. And my efforts were rewarded with the view of the back of a black jeep. Quickly, I cataloged the license plate in my memory, whipping out my phone in the process. I really wasn't liking how the police and I were becoming acquainted. The voice on the end of the line was rapidly getting on my nerves. The kind that doesn't give a crap about anything and is only there because they have to be. 

"Hello? What is it?" the operator asked tiredly.

"Well, I would say I'm sorry that I had to bother you, but my girlfriend has just been kidnapped and I need you to do something about it!" I practically screamed the end at him.

This seemed to grab his attention.

"Okay, when did this happen? And do you have any information regarding the method of kidnap?"

"Yes, the kidnapper just left about two minutes ago and drove a black jeep. The license plate number was QH873FU."

"Alright, the police need to set up a perimeter around your house. What is your address?"

As quickly as I could, I relayed my address to him, also giving details about what Eren looked like.

Then the operator asked, "Is there any chance that Ms. Eren Jaeger has any enemies?"

The first person to pop up in my head was the one person I hated the most.

"Yes sir, but her father is currently in jail."

The line went deathly quiet.

"Sir, her father wouldn't happen to be Dr. Grisha Jaeger, would it?"

And that is when my heart completely left my body. Forget dropping to my stomach or the floor. It shattered on the way down. It was an effort to continue speaking.

"How did you know that?" I asked in a hoarse whisper.

"Dr. Grisha Jaeger has escaped and his whereabouts are currently unknown," the guy said almost timidly. And for good reason.

"How did you let him escape?! And you didn't even call her to warn her that he even escaped?! When did this happen?" My eyes were seeing new shades of red now. There was even some black around the edges.

The operator seemed scared to reply. "H-he escaped around two days ago, and I am not sure w-why Ms. Jaeger was not informed."

I had to take several deep breaths before I threw my phone to the ground after verbally ripping this guy apart.

"I want to be kept posted about what is happening at thirty minute intervals. I don't care if that is inconvenient. Because what is inconvenient is that my girlfriend would still be here is she knew that her abusive father has escaped from jail and is now running amok in the city with her. You have my number, so there is no excuse."

I could hear the man stuttering anxiously on the other end, but I couldn't care less. I hung up the phone and turned to the crowd around me. Their faces mirrored mine with the warring emotions of shock, anger, and deep sadness. And anxiety. That ruled over everything. As soon as I acknowledged their presence, I told them what the phone operator told me. And immediately, I could tell that if some of them didn't know which emotion to choose among the chaos, it was definitely anger.

I looked them all in the eye for a couple of seconds, and then began to speak. "You all know as much as I know that we would do anything for Eren. She has brought all of us happiness, even when she had none of her own. And when we could finally give it to her, she has been taken from us. I say that is absolute bullcrap. The injustice of it all reaches new heights. She has suffered more than anyone can ever hope to imagine. This is the time to show her that she is no longer alone, and that her efforts were not in vain. She will be brought back to us safely, no matter what. I ask of you, will you join me? I cannot stand idly by as the love of my life is being put in harms way once again, as I also know that you also would not tolerate."

At once, everyone gave an affirmative nod without hesitation. And I knew than that I could never have asked for better friends.

"Alright than, I need to be able to access the police radio to hear what is going on. Armin, can you do that?"

He gave me a look that asked if I was actually that stupid. To which my mouth twitched slightly upward, but refused to form the slight smile because of the present situation.

"Just asking, I needed to be sure. Alright everyone, let's get on the road."

Eren's P.O.V.

I woke to darkness, my head throbbing incessantly. I immediately knew that I was not near Levi, because I felt absolutely empty. His presence usually filled me with inexplicable joy, but now I felt nothing and I was immediately on edge. I took stock of my surroundings; I was laying on the floor with my hands tied behind my back along with my feet. Thankfully, I was not blindfolded nor gagged, but when I looked up, I was cold for more than one reason. 

The view above reminded me of my darkest memories. Because instead of a roof, there was only open sky, with the stars winking in and out of sight. This was all way too familiar for comfort. And than I heard the voice of my nightmares.

"So, you have finally woken," the voice said, slithering out of the darkness. My head whipped around to the source, and I was greeted with my fears. I sorely wished I was wrong. You would think that the first thing that I would question would be if this was actually possible. What seemed like no time ago I was in Levi's arms, and I had needed to go to the bathroom. And now my father, who was supposed to be behind bars, was now grinning wickedly at me, and nothing good was promised in his eyes.


	18. The Darkness All Around Us

Levi's P.O.V.

It took little effort for Armin to hack into the radio system. We were all very impressed, but at the same time a little scared about what else he could do. But it didn't matter at the moment. The only thing I was concerned about was the safety of my beloved. I was focused entirely on what the radio had to offer. That was how I was trying to hold on. When everything was coming down around me, I drew strength from the fact that there was no body. No body means that they cannot prove anything. And that was all that I could count on. That was all I needed. I could deal with the rest, as long as I could have Eren safely back into my arms.

Everyone was running about and collecting things they thought they might need, including what weapons that they deemed suitable, defensive tools, first-aid kits, and items used for restraint. I was kind of impressed that they even thought to bring them, but than I thought about it. This was how they were coping. They couldn't crowd around the radio forever, so preparing was how they were handling it. It made sense. But I had what I needed, and it was resting in the belt of my jeans. 

When the preparations were over and they had nothing else to do, that was when they desperately tried to find a place next to the radio. It was only filled with harsh orders and answers back. Nothing had happened, and we were all getting more and more on edge by the second.

I'm so sorry, Eren.

Eren's P.O.V.

All I could do was lay there stunned as I looked at the face of my father. The source of all my unhappiness, my sorrow. The face of my tormenter. I couldn't believe that just a few short moments ago, I was safe and happy, but I knew that it couldn't last. Nothing ever did. I just wished no one would feel upset about what I know will happen next. 

"So, you're finally awake, eh?" he asked with a sinister smile.

The only thing I felt like doing was to continue to stare at him. I had no energy left to even care anymore. He made sure of that. When He didn't get the response he desired, he became angry.

"Ya know, when someone is talking to you, it is polite to respond to them."

Again, I gave no indication that I even heard him. I did not want to give him the satisfaction of an answer. He had done enough, and I was so tired. I didn't bother to hope, either. No, if this man could somehow escape prison, than he would have made sure to cover his tracks and find a safe place to do the deed. There would be no stopping this man. And that is what led me to accept my fate. I sent a silent prayer for my friends and family. And for Levi. I blessed them in my heart and captured them in my memories. That is, until I couldn't do so anymore. What was important, though, was that I was even given the chance at all to be able to meet such lovely people. And to love like I have.

When I finally noticed that he had walked up to me, it was too late. The pain came instantaneously, and I was already screaming.

"Eh? I didn't kick you that hard, ya know. Ya shouldn't try to make too much noise either. Don't make me gag ya."

I steeled myself in my heart. I would not cry in front of this man. No matter what happened, I refused to give him the satisfaction. Just like how I refused to hurt myself to cover up the emotional pain. I would never give in. 

When I continued to not give him what he wanted, the pain began again. I steeled myself to grit my teeth until it was over.

I'm so sorry, Levi.

Levi's P.O.V.

My nerves, my patience, my sanity were all slipping away, and it wasn't slow. No, it was happening very, very quickly. With every second ticking by, with every voice that I could hear over the radio, I was drowning. I begged to whoever would listen that I could finally catch a break, but I feared that whatever luck I had was gone. Meeting Eren was apparently the only lucky thing that would ever happen to me. And that would be fine in any other situation, but not this one. This was the one situation where I couldn't just accept that. And the annoying voices on the end of the line were making it worse evert time. No one had a clue. That is, until I heard what came next.

"Sir, the cameramen have found the suspected vehicle via traffic cams, and follow it's route to a dirt road. It's address is located off of Forest rd. May we proceed?" 

My heart literally leaped for joy. This was it, maybe I could still be happy. Maybe my luck hadn't completely wore out.

They men received an affirmative, and we waited in silence as they traveled down the road. After about ten minutes, the officer spoke again.

"Sir, we are currently looking at an unregistered, abandoned building. There isn't any activity that we can detect at the moment, but we can't be- wait. I just received word that someone saw movement in a window. May we proceed?"

That was all that I needed.

"C'mon guys, let's go."

There was hooting and hollering as everyone clambered into the cars and sped off. Everyone knew that this was the chance. If we screwed this up, there wouldn't be a second chance. But one was enough. We were going to do this right the first time.

Eren's P.O.V.

The pain was excruciating. I couldn't sense anything: my sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell were all destroyed in one way or another, leaving me to guess as to what was about to happen. All I could do was wait it out until it was over, wish to someone to make it stop. I didn't care how, but that it happened sooner rather than later. 

Levi's P.O.V.

I took the lead as we sped down the roads, uncaring what laws were set in place. Speed limits, directions, yield signs; it didn't matter. And I wasn't alone. We soon found ourselves at the entrance to the indicated road, and parked the cars somewhere where no one could see them. Quietly, we gathered our things and made our way down the road, not daring to make a single sound. If we were caught, we could be in so much trouble. But that would never deter us. 

When we came upon the mentioned house, we each spread off into different directions as planned. The police weren't the only ones with radios of their own. We set off in pairs, and I was paired with Mikasa and Armin. We all looked at each other, nodded, and continued on our way. Then, the radio came back on.

"Sir! There are confirmed to be two people inside the house by using heat signatures. How should we proceed?"

The chief told them to surround the place and announce their presence.

And I knew that it was not going to end well now. I motioned for Mikasa and Armin to follow me and we bolted for the side of the house.

"Police! Come out with your hands up! We have the place surrounded! Don't try anything funny, or we'll shoot!"

Knowing who might be in there, I knew that I needed to get ready. I brought out my secret item, and Mikasa's and Armin's eyes widened in astonishment, but soon hardened into determination. I nodded towards them again and set ourselves into place. We had a good line of vision to the door.

My heart was racing, and my palms began to sweat. I was completely scared for Eren and what would happen next. I knew that I was in for a heart attack.

But not this bad.

Eren's P.O.V.

Just when I thought that I would soon be taken over by the darkness, a voice rang out loud and clear, so much so that I winced as my abused ears took in the sound.

"Police! Come out with your hands up! We have the place surrounded! Don't try anything funny, or we'll shoot!"

I heard a small noise of disgust.

"Tch, how did they find me so quickly?" I could hear shuffling, and then suddenly I was pulled up by my hair.

"C'mon, we're gonna go meet your lovely friends."

But the only thing that I registered was the cold metal to my head and the door in front of me.


	19. The Love of Family

Levi's P.O.V.

I couldn't move. It just wasn't possible.

All I could focus on was the imminent danger that Eren was placed in, let alone the one she had already been in.

I couldn't move.

The silver next to her head. The bruises that were already visible and prominent. The look in her eyes that I dreaded. The malicious sneer of that monster.

And I snapped.

Eren's P.O.V.

When I was dragged outside, I was met with the numerous faces of policemen.

The guns, the hidden faces of my friends, and...

Levi?

It all happened so fast.

"Drop the gun now!" a policeman shouted.

All he received was a malicious chuckle. And a curt reply.

"Now, why would I do that?" Grisha said in a rather bored tone. "Ya see, she's my ticket out of here. Ya can't risk this filthy pig's head, now can ya? No, that won't work, I think I'll keep it this way. Much safer, ya know."

I should end this.

I'm tired of him winning. 

Why don't I just try to escape? He'd have to shoot me. Than what would be his shield.

I refuse to help him.

I steeled myself to bolt.

And then...

Chaos.

I don't remember what happened.

One minute, I'm tensed and ready to run; the next, I'm on the ground staring up at the two most significant people in my life.

But one had a gun to the other's head.

How did he do that?

Levi's P.O.V.

I was panting. Hard.

All of my nerves had snapped. And now here I was.

How did I get here?

I had a gun pointed to that monster's head.

I was ready.

I was really ready.

To pull that blasted trigger.

But...

"Levi...?"

I remembered. I remembered that day in the hospital. The day Eren came home. her real home. She came to me. I told her that I would always protect her. I told her she would never have to deal with that again.

No more bruises. No more broken bones. No more tears. No more hospital visits.

No more.

I'll end it here.

Right now.

Except...

"Levi."

I looked down. I looked down at this beautiful, broken angel of mine. That I was so lucky to have. Yes, she was mine. And someone hurt her.

Who did it? Oh, right. The guy I'm pointing a gun at right now.

I'll hurt him. Just like he hurt her.

I need to pull this trigger.

"Levi, stop."

And I'll make sure he'll pay.

"Please."

Then everything shattered.

I blinked a couple times. And I took notice of my surroundings for the first time.

The monster was kneeling down, whimpering in fear. The policemen had shocked looks on their faces, but their guns were steady. My friends, standing solemnly, but with determination in their eyes. And Eren.

She looked the bravest of us all.

With unsteady legs, she heaved herself up and took the couple steps in between us. Without ever looking away, or blinking, she grasped my hand holding the gun and with her other hand the barrel. Slowly, she pried both away. And I could do nothing but stand there in awe as she held my gaze.

When she had the gun, the monster snapped out of it.

Roaring with anger, he surged up, charging for her.

Big mistake.

I could feel the bones in his rib cage snap. The howl of pain was piercing in my ears.

And I relished in it.

The policemen rushed forward, handcuffing him and dragging him away, all while he was screaming profanities.

Eren calmly handed the gun to a nearby policemen, and promptly collapsed.

But I was there to catch her.

I always would be.


	20. The End Is Only the Beginning

Levi's P.O.V.

Why wasn't she waking up?

It had been several days since we rescued Eren.

I was cleared of any possible charges when they discovered the safety was still on.

That monster was lucky.

But Eren wasn't. We found she had a broken bone in her rib cage and her leg. Never mind the bruises or internal bleeding.

The only comfort I had was the annoying sound of the heart monitor. It let me know that she was still alive. She was still here.

"Eren, can you hear me?"

Eren's P.O.V.

Where am I?

Levi's P.O.V.

"Eren, are you there?"

Eren's P.O.V.

Where's Levi?

Levi's P.O.V.

"Eren."

Eren's P.O.V.

I can hear him.

Where is he?

Levi's P.O.V.

The heart monitor had picked up a bit.

"Eren?"

Beep. Beep.

"Eren, can you hear me?"

It got faster.

"Oh, Eren, please wake up."

"Please."

"For me."

Eren never disappoints.

Because I could see those beautiful blue-green eyes right now.

-Four Years Later-

Eren's P.O.V.

Levi and I were currently sitting at the fireplace with Farlan and Isabel. We had an extremely competitive game of Uno Attack going on. And I was winning.

Okay, I was head-to-head with Levi.

But I was ahead!

"Uno!"

"What?! No fair! You are way too good at this game. You aren't allowed to play anymore!" Isabel cried out.

I merely chuckled and look to Farlan to make his move. He only shrugged as he placed his red five down.

Isabel looked grumpy as she slammed her red nine down on the innocent coffee table.

"Levi! Ya got to help us! Eren is gonna win again if you don't!"

I chuckled evilly as I glanced in Levi's direction. To which he only raised an eyebrow.

We waited in anticipation for Levi's next move. Would I win? Or does he have a card to make me draw more cards?

He calmly perused his cards, as if shopping at the store for cleaning supplies.

I huffed in annoyance. He was purposefully dragging this out, which was quite unnecessary.

He finally settled on a card, and calmly placed it down

It was a blue nine.

"Yes! Yes! I win!"

I slammed that blue two down as hard as possible and shot up from my chair, doing a victory dance.

"Oh yeah! I win! Woohoo! Suckahs!"

"Levi! We were counting on you!"

Levi's P.O.V.

"Sorry, I didn't have anything," I said in my usual monotone.

"Yeah right! You let her win!" Isabel exclaimed while jabbing her finger in my direction.

"Tch, please."

I laid out the one card I had left, which was a green seven.

"See? Told ya."

Isabel harrumphed and started to pout.

"So unfair!"

I ignored her in favor of watching Eren happily skip around us in victory.

I was so happy.

No visible reminders remained to indicate that she had experienced any trauma a year ago. All of her bones healed quickly and the bruises had faded away.

And all that was left was her gorgeous smile.

Grisha Jaeger was sent to a high-security prison in Germany, receiving a life sentence without parole.

He wouldn't be bothering us again.

Eren and the rest of us finished up school without any more bumps and graduated at the top of our classes. She received a scholarship to any college she chose. The look on her face at the time was extraordinary.

I myself received much the same, seeing as Eren and I studied together all of the time.

But we still hadn't decided on the right place. But we agreed to stick together.

Of course, not everything was perfect.

Eren's physical trauma might have been healed, but mentally she was scarred.

And who wouldn't be?

But we had each other, and always would. Nothing could separate us, not even her nightmares.

Now, how should I go about giving her this ring?

**Author's Note:**

> Um... so? How'd I do? Totally failed, right? Let me know if you found any errors. Thanks!


End file.
